First meeting between Biden and Putin since US president took office

Final preparations are underway for tomorrow’s much-anticipated summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden in Geneva, Switzerland. This will be their first face-to-face meeting since Biden became President.

The Russian president criticized the way pressure is being exerted on Russia to distance itself from Beijing and said China was a strategic partner for Russia and not a threat. In an interview broadcast on the American news channel NBC, he said that there were satisfactory levels of trust and cooperation between the two sides.

The Russian President said China is developing trade programs that benefit the Russian economy and world trade, and both sides are investigating how, among other things, there will be space exploration.

At a summit in Brussels, however, NATO leaders warned that China’s behavior is becoming a systematic challenge and seen as a military threat because it is cooperating blatantly with the Russians to strengthen its position.

Analysts hope the summit between Biden and Putin will calm tensions that are being seen among the worst since the Cold War.

Photo of Biden and Putin taken in 2011 (AP)