US President Joe Biden (78 years) has also used his European tour extensively since Wednesday to prepare for the summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (68). It is said that Biden, as it is said around the American president, wants to avoid the pitfalls that his predecessors fell into during the confrontations with the Russian strongman.
On Wednesday, two rounds of talks between Biden and Putin will take place at the Geneva summit – one in a narrow circle and the other with an expanded staff. Biden will send “some tough messages” to Putin, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 56, announced after his talks with the US president. This is also an indication that Biden and Johnson have been talking extensively about Putin over the past few days.
According to reports from White House circles, Biden used every free minute on the sidelines of summit meetings on his trip to Europe to hold discussions with his closest staff and high-level government members, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (59) and Jake Sullivan (44) his national security adviser.
Insider tips from world leaders
In addition, the US president also asked the heads of state and government of the Group of Seven who have already held talks with Putin to prepare for the meeting in Geneva. Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (66) in particular are said to have given him valuable advice on how to speak and how to act.
It is said that Putin came while having Biden tea with Queen Elizabeth II (95) at Windsor Castle. The Queen had already received Putin on a state visit to Great Britain in June 2003, but she wanted to “know more” about the Russian president, Biden told reporters.
Biden will sit before Putin with the full support and solidarity of all NATO members: “Every NATO member world leader thanked me for meeting Putin now,” Biden said Monday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. “Everyone alone.” They thanked him for his willingness to meet Putin as well as touch the hot iron with him.
Biden does not plan to hold a press conference
Jill, 70, Biden’s wife, shouted last week when asked if her husband would be willing to meet Putin. Thus, Biden is ready for Putin’s usual tactics and habits to turn the tables on discussions about Russia’s bad practices and in turn blame the United States.
According to CNN, Biden does not plan to hold a joint press conference with Putin after the summit. Accordingly, Russia pushed for a joint press conference, but the Americans waved their hands. You don’t want to give Putin a platform like after the Helsinki summit in July 2018 with then US President Donald Trump (75). At the time, both presidents commented on alleged Russian interference in the US elections in 2016. Trump backed Putin. He believes the Russian president, not his secret services.
In his words, Biden does not want to exchange blows in front of the cameras. On Sunday, he said the summit was “not a competition over who is best at a press conference or who is best at embarrassing each other.”
Wide range of conversations
The range of topics Biden wants to address with Putin range from cyber attacks to Syria to Ukraine. Afghanistan, the Iran nuclear deal, and the two countries’ nuclear arsenals should also be discussed. Mutual relations are at their lowest in years, as both presidents have just admitted. A dramatic breakthrough in Geneva is not expected, but a baseline has been set and communication between Moscow and Washington has improved.
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