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The negotiations were originally scheduled to last about five hours in a luxurious villa by Lake Geneva, but the meeting of the presidents lasted about an hour and a half.
In the first part of the talks, in addition to the presidents, only translators, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended, followed by a broader format, and finally separate press conferences by Biden and Putin.
Putin said there was no hostility during the meeting with Biden.
“Overall assessment: I think there was no hostility. Otherwise. Our meeting took place, of course, in principle, and in many cases our assessments differed. However, in my opinion, both parties have shown their willingness to understand each other and seek ways to bring positions closer together, “Putin told reporters after the talks.
“The conversation was quite constructive,” he added.
Mr Biden, for his part, said that “the tone of the whole meeting … was good, positive”, but emphasized a colleague who had made it clear that we will not tolerate attempts to undermine our democratic sovereignty or destabilize our democratic elections and than us [į tai] we would answer ”.
Putin did not predict whether relations between Washington and Moscow would improve after stating that bilateral relations had deteriorated due to US policies, but noted that Moscow and Washington share a common understanding of the “red lines.”
“Since we have agreed to work on both cybersecurity and strategic stability, I believe that this consultation, including cooperation in the Arctic and some other areas, should gradually become the subject of our discussions and, I hope, agreements,” he added. .
At the time, Biden said he believed there was a realistic prospect of “improving relations between our two countries without deviating from our principles and values.”
Cyber attacks
Biden told a news conference that he was convinced his Russian counterpart did not want a new Cold War.
“I think the last thing he wants now is the Cold War,” Biden said, adding that during the talks he stressed that “certain critical infrastructures cannot be attacked”, nor by applying “cyberattacks” to them, than others. shapes ‘.
The US leader said he gave a Russian counterpart a list of 16 important sectors that could not be targeted by cyberattacks.
He stressed that “responsible parties must bring cyber bandits and criminals to justice.”
According to Biden, it was agreed that Russian and American experts would meet to understand what the issue meant, “what is illegal and what is dangerous for both parties.”
Putin also noted that he had agreed to initiate bilateral consultations on cybersecurity with his American counterpart.
“We have agreed to initiate consultations on this. In my opinion, this is extremely important,” Putin said at a press conference after the talks with Biden, though he said he believed there was as big a hacking and cybercriminal problem in the United States as in Russia.
He said that “most of the world’s cyberattacks come from American space.”
Washington has long complained about Russia’s ongoing cyber activities, including election interference, which it says is the responsibility of Russian security services or hackers with ties to the Kremlin.
A. Navaln and human rights
According to Putin, Biden raised the issue of human rights in Russia, but noted that there are also human rights violations in the United States, citing Guantanamo Bay for terrorism suspects and the assault on the United States Capitol in January. .
Biden, for his part, said Putin’s criticism of the human rights situation in the United States was “absurd.”
He stressed that there is a big difference between “criminals break a cordon, enter the Capitol, kill a policeman and are prosecuted” and when people take to the streets demanding free and fair elections.
The US leader said he will continue to speak out about concerns in cases such as the imprisonment of Alexei Navaln, a Russian opposition figure.
Putin said on Wednesday that jailed Kremlin critic Navaln had ignored the law when he went to Germany for treatment last year after the poisoning.
In February, Navaln was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating the terms of his probation in a 2014 fraud case while receiving treatment abroad. Mr. Navaln claims that the case was politically motivated. He accuses the Kremlin of trying to kill him, but the Putin administration denies having anything to do with it.
Biden also said the United States would not stop raising questions about “fundamental human rights because we are.”
In addition, the US leader told Putin that he would expect Russia to face “disastrous consequences” in the event of the death of prisoner Navaln.
Return of the ambassadors
Moscow and Washington will discuss areas of their diplomatic relations where “a lot of work has accumulated,” Putin said after a meeting with the US president.
“We have agreed that the Russian Foreign Ministry and the US State Department will initiate consultations on the entire diplomatic interaction. There is a lot to talk about, a lot of work has accumulated,” he said.
The Russian president also said that he had agreed with a US counterpart to return the Russian and US ambassadors to their posts.
“They will go back to their jobs. When exactly is a purely technical question,” Putin told reporters.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov later said that Ambassador Anatoly Antonov would return to Washington later this month.
When Biden identified Putin as a “murderer,” Russia took an unusual step in the fight by summoning its ambassador, Antonov, for consultations and saying that US envoy John Sullivan should also return to Washington.
Sullivan left Moscow in April after the United States and Russia exchanged sanctions and diplomats were dispatched.
In May, Russia officially classified the United States as a “hostile” country. That list includes only the Czech Republic, in addition to the United States.
Prisoner exchange
Biden said he also raised the issue of Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, Americans imprisoned in Russia during the talks.
Putin, for his part, said there were possible “compromises” on the prisoner swap.
In a recent interview, former US Marine P. Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage in Russia, asked Biden to agree to a prisoner swap with Putin, saying he was a victim of hostage diplomacy.
Another US citizen, former Marine T. Reed, was sentenced in July last year to nine years in prison on the charge of assaulting a Russian police officer while intoxicated.
For its part, Moscow would probably like to take back the infamous Russian arms dealer Viktor But, imprisoned in the United States, as well as the pilot contractor Konstantin Yaroshenko, an alleged drug contractor.
But’s honorable mother asked Putin and Biden to agree on her son’s release.
Gun control and the Arctic
Biden said the United States and Russia agreed to work together on a large-scale gun control agreement.
He noted that if Washington and Moscow had gun control treaties during the Cold War, it is likely now possible as well. However, Mr. Biden did not provide further details on this matter.
The Russian president, for his part, said the meeting agreed on consultations on the future of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
As the Arctic has become the subject of geopolitical competition among the Arctic Council countries in recent years, the United States has stated that it wants to avoid concentrating military power in the region.
Putin on Wednesday dismissed Washington’s concerns about Moscow’s growing military presence in the Arctic.
“The concerns of the US side about militarization have absolutely no basis,” he said, adding that Russia was “rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure” in the region.
Ukraine
Putin has stated that Russia will not make any additional commitments on Ukraine other than the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
“Regarding Ukraine’s commitments: we have only one commitment: to promote the implementation of the Minsk agreements,” Putin told reporters whether Moscow would make new commitments to address the situation in Ukraine.
“If the Ukrainian side is prepared for that, then we will follow this path, without a doubt,” emphasized the head of state.
In addition, he said, Biden agreed that the situation in eastern Ukraine should be resolved in accordance with the Minsk agreements.
Kiev has been fighting pro-Russian separatists in the eastern areas of Donetsk and Lugansk since 2014. The conflict erupted after Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in the spring of that year and has already claimed more than 13,000. it lives.
Greater security in Geneva and gifts
Switzerland had mobilized massive security forces in the run-up to a meeting of the US and Russian presidents to protect some 4,000 soldiers. members of the police, army and security forces.
Geneva police said Wednesday that they had not yet received any information that any incidents had been recorded during the US-Russia summit.
According to preliminary police data, the country delegations had no problems during their trips to Geneva. Nor were there any arrests.
A Swiss army spokesman noted that the situation in the Geneva sky was calm.
Both leaders flew home from Geneva on Wednesday night.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin donated a set of Russian folk art chochloma to Biden.
At that time, the president of the United States presented a Russian colleague with a pair of his favorite aviator sunglasses and a glass sculpture depicting an American bison.
Finally, Putin described the meeting as “sincere and open”. But “it doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to … promise everlasting love,” he said.
The Russian leader concluded his press conference by saying: “You have to look around and think: this is a wonderful world.”
Biden, for his part, summed up the meeting by saying: “I did what I came to look for.”
