US-Russia talks a cool war

There are several cues from the USRussia presidential summit in Switzerland pointing to a further cooling of relations.

The tepid statement ensuing from the historic meeting between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin suggests the two major powers are achieving little more than butting heads.

How soon the talks concluded took everyone by surprise. It would appear Biden and Putin put their points, there was little give or take and nowhere for the conversation to go.

Their awkward attempts to avoid eye contact during the traditional “grip and grin” handshake for the press more visually demonstrated the state of the relationship.

Biden’s tetchy exchange with a CNN journalist on his way to his flight out might also indicate the President was less than satisfied with how the trip had played out.

After the journalist pressed on with questions about how the summit could have been described as useful while Putin continued to avoid discussing several sensitive topics, Biden said: “If you don’t understand that, you’re in the wrong business.”

It’s little wonder Putin is not happy after being called “a killer” by Biden. He has also said the Russian leader has “no soul”. For his part, Biden has a right to be angered by Russia’s continued cyber attacks and interference in US elections.

The Geneva get-together illustrated an intransigence more closely resembling a Cold War brewing than the international cooperation glimpsed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both will believe their obduracy will be admired by their support bases but the rest of the world will be less than impressed.