‘Positive’ talks can’t bridge great divide
GENEVA: US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin said they would work towards improving their cratering relationship after their first summit as leaders.
Both leaders described the meeting in Geneva as positive and said it would set the stage for further co-operation, but they failed to reach any significant solutions.
Despite Mr Putin denying Russian involvement in recent cyber attacks on US interests, Mr Biden said he would “not tolerate” any further attempts. He said he had given Mr Putin a list of 16 “off limits … critical infrastructure” targets.
“He knows I will take action,” Mr Biden said. “I pointed out to him that we have significant cyber capability. He doesn’t know exactly what it is, but it’s significant.”
He also warned of “devastating consequences” should prominent Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny die in custody.
Mr Putin and Mr Biden gave separate and differing accounts of their first summit
as leaders, which wound up earlier than anticipated after three hours.
Mr Putin spoke first following the summit after the White House refused a joint press conference, with the Russian president labelling the new US president “very different” to his predecessor as he unleashed a series of verbal attacks on the US.
“You don’t have time to open your mouth and you’re shot dead,” he said of life of the US. “Look at American streets. People are getting killed there. You can get a bullet in the neck.”
He also deflected criticism of his strongman leadership and likened the treatment of his political enemies to that of American authorities following the January 6 incursion on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.
“People rioted and went into the Congress with political demands. Many people were declared as criminals, threatened with imprisonment from 20 to 25 years. These people were immediately arrested after those events; on what grounds we don’t know always,” Mr Putin said.
Mr Biden said the comparison was “ridiculous”.
Mr Putin said the pair were committed to improving relations and there had “been no hostility”.
“On the contrary, our meeting took place in a constructive spirit,” he said.
Mr Biden declared his trip a success.
“I did what I came to do,” he said. “There’s more work ahead … but we’ve gotten a lot of business done.”
Mr Biden said he believed that while Mr Putin wanted a thaw in relations, he “wasn’t ready to lay down his arms”.