“Was the conversation constructive”: how the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden was held

Kremlin relations

On June 16, the Presidents of Russia and the USA held talks in Geneva, in Villa-La-Grange. The summit focused on cybersecurity, prospects for bilateral relations, strategic stability, prosecution of the opposition and the coronavirus pandemic. 

In addition to the presidents, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken participated in the talks.

Ron Edmonds / AP

[meeting of Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan in Geneva in 1985] 

Earlier, the Geneva authorities recalled that the talks took place 36 years after another historic meeting-Mikhail Gorbachev, the first president of the USSR, and Ronald Reagan, the American president. 

The meeting at the Villa La Grange began at 14:30, so the first part of the summit lasted almost two hours. After a short break, the parties began negotiations in an expanded format. Russian Russian President Vladimir Putin held a press conference for both Russian and foreign journalists, and Joe Biden, in turn, did not allow Russian journalists to attend his press conference. 

“There were no illusions and there can be no illusions”

Ahead of the summit, the two sides said they hoped for a more stable relationship, despite the fact that they [the presidents] disagree on many issues, from arms control to interference in the US election.

“The largest number of cyber attacks, according to US websites, occur from US cyberspace,” — Vladimir Putin said about Russia’s accusations of cyber attacks. 

The Russian president also said that the two countries have a common responsibility for nuclear stability and will hold talks on possible changes to the recently extended new START Arms Limitation Treaty. 

“There is not a single problem that the United States and Russia would not solve together,” — Vladimir Putin said at a press conference. 

However, Vladimir Putin did not show much desire to compromise on a number of other issues. For example, he did not share Washington’s concern about the arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The President said that Navalny has ignored the law, and perfectly well knew what would happen if he returns to Russia from Germany, where he was treated.

Mikhail Metzel / TASS

Relations between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated for years over the annexation of Crimea and Russia’s interference in the 2016 election that brought Donald Trump to the presidency.

They escalated further in March 2021, when Biden declared that he considered Putin a “murderer” which caused a great public outcry and prompted Russia to recall its diplomats “for consultations”

“Our bilateral relations have sunk to their lowest point in recent years,” — Dmitry Peskov told reporters a few days before the summit.

During the talks, the presidents of Russia and the United States agreed with each other and agreed to return their ambassadors to Moscow and Washington. 

As a result of the meeting, no agreements or agreements were signed, as previously announced by the Kremlin.

“Through the thorns to the presidents”. 

Villa la Grange was a real place of “Babel” for all journalists waiting for the first meeting of Biden as President of the United States and Vladimir Putin. Security was tightened, and reporters and journalists were allowed in one at a time and at a certain interval.

REUTERS/Mikhail Metzel

Before starting the negotiations, it was planned to allow the journalists to go to the meeting room to film and record the beginning of the discussion. However, some journalists from the United States wanted to be in the best places so much that they made a stampede, because of which many of their colleagues could not get into the meeting room.

“Stepping on colleagues’ feet, pushing them with your elbows, trying to climb over their heads, unfortunately, does not paint anyone: neither ordinary citizens, nor professional journalists,” — said Timur Shafir, Vice-president of the International Federation of Journalists.

The crush at the entrance lasted for more than twenty minutes, and in the end only a few people were able to get inside: from the American and Russian sides a couple of cameramen and photographers. Later, it was decided not to let anyone else in, and those who went inside and captured the presidents were knocked out to return back to the street.

“In life there is only a lightning bolt of happiness, cherish it”

After the end of the negotiations, Vladimir Putin first held a press conference, and after a while Joe Biden came out to the journalists. 

“I have to tell you that during the meeting, everything was, in total, good. Positive,” — the US president said at the beginning of his press conference.

As an illustration of relations between Russia and the United States, President Putin quoted Leo Tolstoy:

“There is no happiness in life, there is only lightning, cherish it”.

Mikhail Metzel / TASS

Both Russian and foreign experts did not have much hope for the Geneva summit, so the meeting in Geneva was designed to prevent hostile relations between the countries from turning into war.

“Adults, the leaders of the two nuclear powers, meet specifically to make this world a better and more favorable place to live…”, — with this phrase Vladimir Putin concluded his press conference.