United States President Joseph Biden and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, met in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16, for their first summit since Biden took office. Both countries have been stuck into a vicious spiral of diplomatic, military, political, and economic confrontation. Most predictions ahead of the Geneva summit were, thus, restrained, downbeat, or dismal, with both the Kremlin and the White House warning the public not to expect too much. Initial low expectations allowed both presidents and their teams to spin the summit results post factum as a significant success, with Putin talking of “glimmers of hope” and Biden projecting optimism. A half-page-long, three-paragraph joint communiqué was produced, denouncing nuclear war and promising the formation of a joint working group on arms control and strategic stability (Kremlin.ru, June 16).
Russia's War Against Ukraine
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Pavel Felgenhauer: Biden, Putin resolved practically nothing in Geneva
U.S. President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (R) talk at a memorial for the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States after a summit June 14, 2021, at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.
