June 17, 2021: The US will retaliate if Russia continues to carry out malicious cyber-attacks against American targets, Joe Biden said on Wednesday, after holding “good and positive” talks in Geneva with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.
Speaking after their first face-to-face summit, Biden said he had made clear the Kremlin had to “abide by the rules of the road” or face unspecified consequences. Putin was aware the US possessed “unrivalled” cyber capacities, Biden stressed.
After three hours of talks, Biden said he wanted to restore US-Russian relations on an expected and practical basis, following the chaos and embarrassment of the Trump era. He did not believe Putin wanted a new Cold War, but acknowledged that he did not know if his Russian counterpart would change his ways.
The US president added: “It’s about self-interest and the verification of self-interest. Or, as the old expression goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating”.
The summit, overlooking Lake Geneva in an eighteenth-century mansion, ended on a hopeful note, with the two leaders cautiously praising each other. Biden said his discussions were “good”, without “strident action” or “hyperbolic atmosphere.”
Speaking at his solo press conference, Putin said the debate was “without hostility.” “On the contrary,” he said, describing Biden as a balanced and experienced man who “spoke the same language”, and who spoke openly about his family and his mother. Putin added: “He showed an understanding of their moral values. It’s all very attractive. It doesn’t mean we saw each other’s eyes or souls. We have to represent our countries. This is a pragmatic relationship”
The summit – held amid low expectations – yielded results. Both sides agreed that their ambassadors would return to their posts in Moscow and Washington on a set date. The Kremlin has recalled its ambassador to the United States after Biden called Putin a “murderer” in a TV interview. His American counterpart, John Sullivan, left for home in April. After a long and bitter struggle, their return represents a modest improvement in the relationship.
The two leaders also announced a new US-Russia working group that will consult on various issues. These include the renewal of the Start III nuclear deal, which expires in 2024, and cybersecurity. Putin denied that Russia was behind recent cyberattacks on the United States, including the devastating solar winds in federal institutions last year and the 2016 raids on Democratic Party servers. Washington has blamed Russian intelligence operatives for both incidents.
Biden said he had made it clear to Putin that his administration would respond if the Kremlin violated US sovereignty again. He said he had given Putin a list of 16 key US infrastructure facilities, including the energy and fuel sectors, which were the target of a recent ransom attack by alleged Russian criminals. Biden added that the United States would continue to raise human rights issues inside Russia.
He said it would be “devastating” if opposition leader Alexei Navalny had to die in prison after being arrested by Russian authorities in January. Putin is accused of ordering the poisoning of Navalny in Siberia last summer. However, Putin said Navalny had “broken the law” on several occasions and indicated he was a US agent. He refused to use Navalny’s name, calling him “this person”. Putin has denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating “Similar, baseless allegations concerning Russia’s intelligence have been made more than once.”
He also suggested that the 400 pro-Trump protesters who attacked the capital, Washington, on January 6 were subject to political and legal American persecution. Biden called the confrontation with peaceful anti-Kremlin protesters in Russia “ridiculous.” Biden said the capital’s rioters were “guilty” of killing a police officer.
The day after Biden arrived in Switzerland after the G7 summit at the Cornwall-NATO talks in Brussels, the Russian president’s plane took off from a quiet lake in Geneva, which went down at 12.27 pm local time. Putin arrived at the Villa La Grange Summit on time, uncertainly. Biden greeted him a few minutes later and was greeted by Swiss President Guy Permelin, surrounded by Russian, American and Swiss flags. Biden and Putin explored and shook hands in front of the mansion for a brief photo call. There was a smile on both sides before they went inside.
They appeared together inside the mansion’s book-lined library. Biden seemed comfortable. In a well-known pose, Putin leaned back in his chair, legs spread. Aides then evacuated a large and chaotic press pack. The historic summit began in two forms, with Biden being introduced by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and with Putin being accompanied by his veteran Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The conversation in this small group lasted about an hour and a half. A White House official said the talks had spread to a larger bilateral meeting, with delegations from both sides convening just after 5 p.m., local time. Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, Biden said he wanted a “stable, predictable” relationship with Russia, despite claims that Putin had interfered in the US election, provoked wars with its neighbors, and Opposition leaders have been jailed for trying to stifle dissent.
Putin brought his list of complaints to Geneva on his first trip abroad since the coronavirus outbreak in 2020. He lamented US support for the Ukrainian government and claims of support for the opposition in Russia and neighboring Belarus, as well as its expansion. NATO in Eastern Europe. Speaking after the talks, Biden said he had reaffirmed the US commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity. He also cited a number of areas where Moscow and Washington could work together, including Afghanistan, Syria and the Arctic.
Wednesday’s summit was the first meeting between US and Russian leaders since Putin met Donald Trump in Helsinki in 2018. In a meeting seen as deeply embarrassing for the US, Trump appeared to kowtow to Putin by rejecting his own FBI’s assessment that Russia had interfered in the 2016 US presidential elections. “President Putin says it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be,” he told journalists. An aide later said she had considered faking a medical emergency to end the joint press conference.
The two presidents brought senior diplomatic and military advisers to the villa summit. Among them was Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerismov, who was responsible for developing the “hybrid war” ideology. Hundreds of journalists set out for the talks, which closed most parts of the city, including the shores of Lake Geneva.
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