Negotiations between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden ended in Geneva. It was the first Russian-American summit since 2018, as well as the first face-to-face meeting between Putin and Biden as heads of state, TASS reports.
The agency summed up the results of the meeting of the leaders of the two countries. The fact that the leaders of the two largest world powers nevertheless met face to face and sat down at the negotiating table is in itself a positive sign. And not only for Russia and the United States, but also for the rest of the world.
The leaders’ joint statement says that the parties intend to launch a comprehensive bilateral dialogue on strategic stability, which will be substantive and energetic. It is stated that they aim to lay the foundation for future arms control and risk mitigation measures.
According to Vladimir Putin, in the near future, Russia and the United States intend to begin consultations on cybersecurity, prisoner exchange and arms control.
The leaders of the two countries assessed the meeting as constructive. Putin called Biden a balanced and experienced interlocutor, which suggests that the leaders managed to find a common language.
Russia and the United States is returning its ambassadors to their missions. The mutual recall of ambassadors has become one of the lowest points in Russian-American relations. The parties took this step in March.
The Biden-Putin meeting also yielded negative results. No breakthrough agreement was reached between the two presidents during the summit. The obstacle is still the topic of human rights, which leaders seem to view differently. The leaders of the two countries referred to the cases of African-American George Floyd and Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
