US President Joe Biden will meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Geneva on June 16 to discuss a full range of issues, a first face-to-face interaction between the two leaders amid escalating US-Russia tensions. "President Biden will meet with President Putin in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16, 2021," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.
The Geneva meeting would be the first one between the two leaders after Biden became the president of the United States. The Biden administration, like its predecessors, considers Russia as one of the main threats to its national security. The other being China, Iran and North Korea. Previous administrations have tried to improve its ties with Russia, including the reset button by the Obama administration and the efforts by Donald Trump as well during his four years of presidency.
Ever since his election, the Biden administration has been adopting a tough line with Russia and China. Public spats between the countries erupted as Biden characterised Putin as a killer, and his top national security aides excoriated China for a litany of issues. Moscow and Beijing had both fired back, setting the stage for months, if not more, of escalating tensions that are unlikely to be resolved without intense discussions at the leadership level and major concessions from all sides.
Biden had sought to draw clear differences between his Russia policies and those of former president Donald Trump, who was accused of being soft on Putin. Although Biden's strong comments about Putin reflected a shift from Trump's often conciliatory approach to the Kremlin, the harsh criticism directed at China by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan in many ways mirrored the previous administration's hard line toward Beijing.
The contrasting styles suggested that Biden is intent on reversing years of perceived US weakness toward Russia. In taking a strong line on Russia, Biden has said the days of the US rolling over to Putin are done. And, in an interview with network ABC, Biden replied he did consider Putin as a killer. Russia responded by recalling its ambassador in Washington for consultations.
Putin then shot back by pointing to the US history of slavery, the slaughter of Native Americans and the atomic bombing of Japan in World War II in an it-takes-one-to-know-one response.
-Inputs from AP via PTI
