Biden, Putin Conclude Summit Between ‘Two Great Powers'

The two sides expected a 4-5-hour meet, but spent less than 3 hours together. Both appeared to avoid looking directly at each other during a brief photo op

GENEVA

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he and US President Joe Biden agreed in a “constructive ” summit on Wednesday to return their nations’ ambassadors to their posts and begin negotiations to replace the last remaining treaty between the two countries limiting nuclear weapons.

Putin said there was ‘no hostility’ during the talks that wrapped up more quickly than expected. The two sides had said they expected to meet for four to five hours but spent less than three hours together, including an opening meeting with just the two presidents and their top foreign aide.

When it was over, Putin had first crack at describing the results at a solo news conference, with Biden to follow with his own session with reporters.

Putin acknowledged that Biden raised human rights issues with him, including the fate of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Putin defended Navalny’s prison sentence and deflected questions about mistreatment of Russian opposition leaders by highlighting US domestic turmoil, including the Black Lives Matter protests and the January 6 Capitol insurrection. Putin said he and Biden agreed to begin negotiations on nuclear talks to potentially replace the New START treaty limiting nuclear weapons after it expires in 2026.