![]() Working groups have been established on cyber security, which Putin describes as "extraordinarily important", as well as one on nuclear arms control and a third for potential prisoner exchanges.Īnd in a relatively rare moment of scrutiny for an "autocrat", Putin did open himself to almost an hour of questions from Russian and English-speaking media after the summit. Leaving aside an ugly melee between Russian and US media - abetted by brawny security guards lacking any sense of occasion at the opening photo opportunity - by the numbers, Geneva appears to have charted a course for relations in regulation time.įormal meeting time involving the presidents, ministers and advisers totaled less than 160 minutes in two separate sessions. ( AP: Denis Balibouse/Pool Photo)Ī touch of clear-eyed humility marks a decent starting point for the current combination in the Kremlin and White House to work through their problems over the next few years. The two sides had said they expected to meet for four to five hours but spent less than three hours together. Maybe it's the scarring and wariness that comes from a cumulative 60 years in public life between them. But it's strikingly different in tone to the bluster of Donald Trump's brand of "showbiz" summits, which he raised to an artform with Kim Jong Un in Singapore, Vietnam and at the border between North and South Korea. Yet both are approaching them with a sense of shared responsibility. Make no mistake, Biden and Putin are engaged in serious brinkmanship on the many serious problems confronting the world – cyber attacks that can cripple an economy, and nuclear weapons that could annihilate billions of people if not carefully managed. "Bold," "venturous," "enlivening," "optimistic" might better capture the spirit of what they have sought to achieve. "Good." "Positive." "Pragmatic." "No-nonsense." "No hostility." "Very efficient." "Substantive." Neither man in this presidential pairing read deeply into the playbook for diplomatic hyperbole when trying to explain the tone of their talks. ![]() So it is that we can fairly report the scoreline in the great face-off at Villa La Grange, Switzerland: Democracy 1, Autocracy 1.īetter still, if you look past the dour, workmanlike, post-summit scorecards Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin wrote for themselves in Geneva, there are the makings of a thrilling series of Russia-America rematches to come. That's as true in global affairs as it is in sport. Sometimes a 1-1 draw can be as absorbing as a 5-0 thumping.Ī tight tussle can bring out the best in adversaries, even a little respect, if only begrudging.
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