17 June 2021 (TDI): The two presidents of America and Russia, President Joe Biden, and President Vladimir Putin met each other at the Geneva summit on Wednesday where the two decided to resume diplomatic relations and send their ambassadors to each other’s states. The two leaders also expressed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the US State Department would begin a dialogue. The focal topics of their discussions included strategic stability, cybersecurity, regional conflicts, human rights issues, trade relations, and cooperation in the Arctic.
This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Biden took office in January. During the solo news conferences that ensued, Biden dubbed the meeting as ‘positive’, whereas Putin called it ‘constructive’. The two clearly stipulated their differences and discussed them. They shed light upon regional conflicts including those in Belarus and Ukraine. Moreover, Biden raised human rights concerns over the fate of Alexie Navalny which were discredited by Putin who reminded him of the US conduct in the Black Lives Matter and the Jan 6 Capitol insurrection. Furthermore, the two agreed to commence nuclear talks and replace the New Start Treaty following its expiration in 2026.
The two counterparts decided to send their ambassadors to each other’s state. Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, was recalled three months ago from the US in the aftermath of Biden calling Putin a killer; the US ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, returned to the US when Russia ordered him to leave.
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