![]() Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/EPAĪhead of Wednesday’s meeting, Biden had said he was seeking “stable, predictable” relations with Russia despite claims that Putin has interfered in American elections, provoked wars with his neighbours, and sought to crush dissent by jailing opposition leaders. The talks expanded into a larger bilateral meeting, with delegations from both sides, wrapping up soon after 5pm local time, a White House official said.Ī limousine carrying Putin passes Lake Geneva ahead of the US-Russia summit with Biden. The conversation in this smaller group lasted about an hour-and-a-half. The historic summit talks began in two by two format, with Biden flanked by the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and Putin accompanied by his veteran foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. Aides then evicted a large and chaotic press pack. In what has become a familiar pose, Putin leaned back into his chair, legs sprawled. They reappeared together inside the mansion’s book-lined library. There was a glimmer of a smile from both before they went inside. Biden and Putin posed for a brief photocall in front of the mansion and shook hands. ![]() Biden followed minutes later and was greeted by the Swiss president, Guy Parmelin, surrounded by Russian, American and Swiss flags. Uncharacteristically Putin arrived at the Villa La Grange summit venue on time. The Russian president’s plane flew in over a quiet Lake Geneva, touching down at 12.27pm local time (11.27 BST), the day after Biden arrived in the Swiss city following the G7 summit in Cornwall and Nato talks in Brussels. The Capitol rioters were “criminals” who killed a police officer, Biden pointed out.īiden and Putin met on Wednesday for both one-on-one talks and with their wider teams. Biden dismissed the comparison to peaceful anti-Kremlin demonstrators in Russia as “ridiculous”. He also suggested the 400 pro-Trump protesters who stormed the Capitol building in Washington on 6 January were the victims of political and legal US persecution. Putin shrugged off claims he had repressed domestic critics, and accused the US Congress of supporting undesirable Russian anti-government “political organisations”. He refused to use Navalny’s name, calling him “this person”. Putin, however, said Navalny had “broken the law” on several occasions and implied that he was an American agent. ![]() Putin is accused of ordering Navalny’s poisoning last summer in Siberia with the nerve agent novichok. He said it would be “devastating” if the opposition leader Alexei Navalny were to die in jail, following his arrest in January by Russian authorities. America would continue to raise the issue of human rights inside Russia, Biden added.
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