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President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Wednesday for the first time since Biden took office, at a summit in Geneva that the Russian leader described as “constructive”, while Mr. Biden said he “did what I came for.”
The two leaders addressed reporters at separate press conferences after nearly three hours of meetings that included discussions on cyber security and arms control, among other topics. The two leaders issued a joint statement after their respective press conferences stressing that “even during periods of tension” they can make progress “in ensuring predictability in the strategic area, reducing the risks of armed conflict and the threat of nuclear war.”
Biden told reporters that Putin “knows I will take action” in working to prevent Russia from engaging in malicious activities such as interfering in US elections, engaging in hacking attacks, such as those targeting SolarWinds and ransomware attacks on US companies. Mr. Biden added that Putin “knows that there are consequences” and said Russia’s credibility is “reduced” when it engages in cyberattacks.
However, when pressed by reporters about whether he was confident Putin would change his behavior, Biden said, “I’m not confident about anything.”
The president also said that Putin knows there will be consequences if imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny dies.
Meanwhile, Putin did not address Navalny by name at his press conference, but said that Navalny deliberately violated the law and wanted to be arrested when he returned to Russia after receiving treatment in Germany for his near-fatal poisoning. Navalny and the United States and Western countries blame Russia for his poisoning.
The Russian president sidestepped the Ukraine issue after NATO affirmed Ukraine’s sovereignty at its last meeting in Brussels.
Addressing reporters on the runway before boarding Air Force One, Biden apologized for losing his temper with CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins, saying he was a “wise man.” Biden said his first foreign trip showed “America is back” and said he owed world leaders a “debt of gratitude” for his support in Putin’s talks.
Biden told reporters there was value in being “realistic” and putting an “optimistic face” after telling reporters they were only asking negative questions. “I’ve started working on weapons agreements that go back to the Cold War era,” Biden said. “If we could do one during the Cold War, we could do one now.”
Follow below for updates from the Biden-Putin summit as it happened: US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet at the US-Russia summit at Villa la Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. Kevin Lamarck/Reuters.
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