Biden to hold solo news conference after meeting with Putin in Geneva: White House

US President Joe Biden will hold a solo news conference after his meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin next week, the White House said on June 12. Biden will meet Putin in Geneva on June 16. According to The Guardian, the White House said that the US President will bring up ransomware attacks emanating from Russia, Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine, the jailing of dissidents and other issues that have irritated the relationship.

Further, a US official reportedly said that the meeting in Geneva is expected to be “candid and straightforward”. However, they also added that a solo press conference is the “appropriate format” to clearly communicate with the free press the topics that were raised in the meeting, both in terms of areas where the US may agree and in areas where the country has significant concerns. The White House also said that the meeting would involve a “working session” and a “smaller session”. 

Russia-US relations at it ‘lowest level’

Meanwhile, ahead of the summit, Putin has opined that US-Russia relations are at an all-time low. “We have a bilateral relationship which has deteriorated to its lowest level in recent years," Vladimir Putin said in an interview with NBC News. He hailed former US President Trump as "an extraordinary, talented individual" and described Joe Biden as a "career man" who spent his life in politics after the "colourful" Donald Trump.

He also mentioned that Biden was "radically different" from Trump. Upon being asked about Joe Biden calling him a killer in an interview in March, Vladimir Putin said he has heard dozens of such accusations. “It’s not something that worries me in the least,” he'd said. The US President, however, has warned Putin sternly and claimed he would send a clear message to his Russian counterpart in the scheduled meeting. 

The leaders' first in-person meeting enlists discussions on the full range of issues in order to restore predictability to the US-Russia relationship. The Kremlin officials had previously said in a statement that Biden and Putin would deliberate on Russia-US bilateral ties, related to strategic nuclear stability and other issues including cooperation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Reportedly, ties between the world's two superpowers have been strained after the detention of the Kremlin critic and dissident Alexey Navalny too.

(Image: AP)