Shannon Longworth Reporter

Biden and Putin finish first meeting in Geneva

Jun 16, 2021

Shannon Longworth Reporter

By Shannon Longworth (Reporter), Ben Burke (Producer)

GENEVA (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their summit meeting Wednesday between what the American leader called “two great powers,” wrapping up more quickly than expected.

The pair’s second sit-down, with aides present on both sides, lasted about 65 minutes.

That session was to be divided into two parts with a break in between, but concluded without a second part. The two sides had said they expected to meet for four to five hours but spent less than three hours together, including an opening meeting with just the two presidents and each one’s top foreign aide.

Shannon Longworth: A SURPRISINGLY QUICK SUMMIT…AND AN UNEXPECTED TONE IN THE MEDIA BRIEFINGS THAT FOLLOWED. THAT’S THE CONSENSUS AFTER THE BIG MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENT BIDEN AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN TODAY.

PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD EXPECTED THE MEETING TO LAST 4 TO 5 HOURS. BUT IT ENDED UP TAKING LESS THAN 3. PUTIN SPOKE FIRST, SAYING HE AND BIDEN AGREED TO RETURN THEIR RESPECTIVE AMBASSADORS TO THEIR POSTS. IT’S ALL IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE TENSION BETWEEN THE NATIONS.

PUTIN ALSO SAID THE US AND RUSSIA WILL CONTINUE TALKS ON CYBER-SECURITY AND REPLACING AN EXPIRED NUCLEAR TREATY.

NEXT UP — BIDEN. AND HE CAME OUT SWINGING. WHILE HE DESCRIBED THE TONE AS POSITIVE — BIDEN SAID HE LET PUTIN KNOW THE THINGS HE WAS GOING TO STAND UP FOR.

PRESIDENT Joe Biden: “I pointed out to him we have significant cyber capability, and he knows it. He doesn’t know exactly what it is but it’s significant. And in fact if they violate those basic norms, we will respond.”

LONGWORTH: BIDEN WENT ON TO SAY HE STRESSED HUMAN RIGHTS AT THE SUMMIT.
HE REFERENCED RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER ALEXEI NAVALNY — AND TWO AMERICANS BIDEN SAYS ARE WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED IN RUSSIA.