The first face-to-face summit meeting between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place in Switzerland on the 16th.

There is growing interest in how it will help restore bilateral relations, which the two leaders have described as "worst."

The first face-to-face summit meeting between President Biden, who is visiting Europe as his first foreign visit after taking office, and President Putin will be held in Geneva, Switzerland on the 16th.



Between the two countries, there are a lot of issues such as ▼ Ukraine's sovereignty problem such as Russia's merger of Crimea, ▼ Large-scale cyber attack aimed at US government agencies, ▼ Suspicion of intervention in the presidential election, etc. The relationship between the two countries has deteriorated to the point where both leaders describe it as the "worst case," with both sides expelling some diplomats.



President Biden wants to raise concerns about these issues to the Russian side at the talks and encourage action, while Putin is not involved in cyber attacks and election interventions so that he will not be perceived as a concession to the United States. I am ready to deny it.



However, the two leaders also expressed their intention to seek some kind of dialogue framework in areas where interests are aligned, such as security issues such as arms control and nuclear disarmament, and the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated to the worst level after the end of the Cold War. There is a lot of interest in how it can be a catalyst for the restoration of.

Focus of the meeting: "Worst" relationship Will it trigger a restoration?

The focus of this US-Russia summit is whether it will trigger the restoration of bilateral relations, which has deteriorated to the worst level after the end of the Cold War.



The agenda of the talks is expected to be wide-ranging, including ▼ Ukraine issues, ▼ cyber attacks, ▼ arms control and nuclear disarmament, and ▼ the Putin administration's crackdown on dissidents.



President Biden said this week (13th) that he would "clearly state the conditions necessary to improve relations," and at the meeting he said he would raise concerns on the part of the United States and urge Russia to take action, and he said he would carefully assess the other party's appearance. You can.



Meanwhile, the two leaders also expressed their intention to seek some sort of dialogue framework on security issues such as arms control and nuclear disarmament, and President Putin said, "We want to build a mechanism that works in areas of mutual benefit."



However, there is widespread skepticism among the media and experts in both countries as to whether there will be significant progress in this meeting.



"There is no guarantee that we can change the attitude of the other party, because the monopolyists have great power and do not have to be accountable to the people," said President Biden as President Putin did not break his hard-line stance toward the United States. I will.



Under these circumstances, the focus will be on whether or not the summit meeting will trigger the restoration of cold bilateral relations.

Biden's aim

President Biden would like to raise concerns on the part of the United States at this summit and carefully assess Russia's departure.



President Biden wants to build a "stable and predictable" relationship with Russia.



On top of that, on the purpose of the top-level talks this week (13th), "I want to clarify the conditions necessary for improving relations with Russia. The best way is for me and President Putin to meet and discuss in person." He said that directly communicating and discussing American concerns would be the first step.



He added, "I don't want conflict, I want to solve the problem of acts that violate international norms. We may be able to come up with some strategic principles in areas where we can cooperate. We are ready." I would like to explore the framework and cooperation of dialogue in the field of security such as nuclear disarmament.



However, there are criticisms from the US Congress and others that it is a "concession" to Russia to enter into a summit meeting while Russia's behavior has not changed significantly.



On the other hand, the White House has indicated that it will not hold a joint press conference after the summit meeting, and the American media may justify the Russian side's claim if the two leaders attend the meeting side by side. He points out that there is an aim to avoid this.



On the other hand, President Biden seems to want to avoid further deteriorating relations with Russia in order to counter China, which is regarded as "the most important competitor", and criticized Russia for being weak. While dodging, it seems that the skill will be questioned as to what kind of path will be taken for future bilateral relations.

Putin's aim

Putin aims to impress Russia's presence both inside and outside the country by attending the summit meeting in response to President Biden's proposal and showing his willingness to tackle urgent issues such as nuclear disarmament.



"We hope that conditions will be created to take further steps to normalize bilateral relations and to solve the problems we are facing," Putin said on the 4th of this month. Said.



Putin does not expect that the talks will open a breakthrough for improving relations, but he thinks that he would like to move toward easing the economic sanctions imposed by the annexation of Ukraine's Crimean crisis. Can be done.



To that end, Russia wants to start a dialogue on areas where it can cooperate with the United States, and President Putin said in an interview on state television broadcast on the 13th, "We will build a mechanism that actually works in areas that are mutually beneficial. I would like to do so, "he said, and expressed his desire to build a framework for dialogue on strategic stability issues, including nuclear disarmament, and climate change issues.



On the other hand, the US criticized themes such as cyber attacks, the situation in Ukraine and Belarus, and the issue of dissident leader Alexei Navalny, denying the administration's involvement and accusing it of interfering with domestic affairs. I'm ready to take a step back.



Putin considers that while the United States positions China as "the most important competitor", it may take an approach including concessions to Russia, so it is advantageous to have a dialogue with the United States. It seems that there are some thoughts that I would like to proceed with.

US Expert "Beginning of a Long and Rugged Road"

Regarding the US-Russia summit meeting, Matthew Rojansky, director of Russian diplomacy at the Wilson Center, a US think tank, said, "Everyone has a handshake and a signing ceremony at the end of this meeting, but a declaration of friendship between the two countries is made. I don't think it will be released. This is just the beginning of a long and steep road. "



Regarding the aim of holding a summit meeting while the US-Russia relations are still cold, "President Biden has repeatedly stated the need to install guardrails so that bilateral relations do not escalate in a dangerous direction," he said. We analyzed that this is to control issues directly related to US security, such as the development of hypersonic weapons and hypersonic weapons, through diplomacy.



On top of that, Rojansky mentioned the current situation in Russia, where all power is concentrated on President Putin. At the same time, we recognize that it is not enough, and we need channels between military uniforms, "he said, and agreed to start a dialogue for strategic stability of bilateral relations. He said that what he could do would be one of the focal points.



He also pointed out that the focus will be on reversing the situation where the number of staff at each embassy is being reduced due to the deterioration of relations between the two countries.

Russian expert "It is important to start dialogue"

Meanwhile, Russia's international political scientist Dmitry Suslov, who is familiar with bilateral relations, said, "The important result of the talks is not some kind of agreement, but a dialogue." Russian leaders pointed out that it is meaningful to be at the dialogue table.



Regarding the aim of the Russian side, Mr. Suslov said, "Russia is interested in making the conflict maneuverable and developing the relationship within a certain frame. The Red Line that should not be crossed is clarified to the Byden administration. It is important for Russia to show it to Russia. "For Russia, the United States will not deepen its interference with the situation in regions that Russia considers to be a sphere of influence, such as Ukraine and Belarus, and domestic political issues, and the confrontation will be decisive. I analyzed that I would like to discuss concrete measures to prevent it.



On the other hand, he said, "Russia is not interested in a new arms race," and on the issue of strategic stability, including nuclear disarmament, it was decided to extend the nuclear disarmament treaty "New START" for five years. He expressed his hope that it would be an opportunity to exchange opinions widely by making the best use of.



He also said that the United States is deepening its confrontation with China, saying, "It is creating a situation that is quite favorable for Russia. It is giving Russia new possibilities." He pointed out that the environment is such that negotiations with the United States can proceed in an advantageous manner.

Meetings between the two countries, often in Geneva

In Geneva, Switzerland, where the US-Russia summit meeting was held, summit meetings and foreign ministers' meetings between the two countries, including the former Soviet Union, the predecessor of Russia, have been held frequently.



Of these, in November 1985 during the Cold War, the first summit meeting was held between then President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev.



In this, the two leaders issued a joint statement that included the principle that "there is no winner in the nuclear war and the nuclear war should never be fought", and the momentum for the subsequent dialogue toward nuclear disarmament was increased.



Gorbachev's interpreter, Pavel Parajchenko, said, "Geneva, a neutral country with a long tradition of international diplomacy, was chosen as the meeting place at the time." Although President Reagan was very critical, the atmosphere changed as the talks progressed, "he said, although there was a gap between the two positions, but there was a frank discussion.



In Geneva, then Secretary of State Clinton and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in March 2009.



Secretary of State Clinton also presented Lavrov with a button labeled "Reset," which means to redo the relationship, and the two agreed to improve the relationship.



It seems that Geneva was judged to be the most suitable place for the summit meeting between President Biden and President Putin, taking into account these past circumstances.



Meanwhile, Swiss President Guy Parmelin said in a press conference there after meeting with President Biden who entered Geneva on the 15th, "I hope the United States and Russia will have beneficial results for both countries and the international community." , Expressed expectations for the outcome of the talks in Geneva.