Russian Presidents Vladimir Putin and US Presidents Joe Biden smoothed out their disagreements on Wednesday June 16, 2021 in Geneva during a bilateral summit that lasted less than four hours, Western media reported.

During this meeting, Mr. Poutine who was the first to speak by describing the atmosphere of the meeting, indicated that there was no animosity. He added that on many issues their assessments diverge, but the two sides have demonstrated a desire to understand each other and seek ways to reconcile positions.

The Russian president announced that the two countries had agreed to a return of their respective ambassadors, recalled by Moscow and then Washington in March and April. They agreed to start nuclear negotiations to replace the New Start treaty which limits nuclear weapons after its expiration in 2026, ensuring that the United States should not worry about Russian militarization in the arctic. He further added that the two countries had agreed to a dialogue on cybersecurity.

As for Mr. Biden, he confirmed that the meeting had taken place in a positive atmosphere and that the two countries had “a mutual interest to cooperate”.

He affirmed that the United States were back, alongside their allies, to defend democratic principles, and assured to have expressed to his Russian counterpart the need for basic rules to be respected for both camps, within the framework of their relationships.

However, Biden said he warned Russia against interference in the US election. “ I made it clear that we would not tolerate attempts to violate our democratic sovereignty or destabilize our democratic elections and that we would respond, ” he said, while considering that Vladimir Putin “is not looking for a Cold War” with the United States.

Russia, because of its common border with China, a major economic and military power, “is not looking for a cold war” with the United States, Mr. Biden said.

Source: Agence Ivoirienne de Presse