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The two men understand each other.

"The Russian state has never interfered in US internal affairs, including the elections, and never will," said Vladimir Putin.

"Extremely strong and powerful" is this denial.

He trusts Putin, says Donald Trump - in stark contrast to the findings of the American secret services.

This scene was almost three years ago during the 2018 American-Russian summit in Helsinki.

The meeting in the palace of the Finnish President looks like an event from a distant past.

The would-be autocrat Trump has now been voted out of office.

The autocrat Putin recently signed a law allowing him to rule until 2036.

There is little to suggest that the first meeting of the new US President Joe Biden with Putin is as friendly as the tête-à-tête of his predecessor with the man from the Kremlin.

Biden is a tougher nut to crack for Putin than Trump was once.

During a phone call on Tuesday, Biden Putin proposed a bilateral summit in a third country.

Such a meeting could take place "in the coming months," said Biden, according to the White House.

The Kremlin announced that Biden had proposed that it examine "the possibility" of a personal summit meeting in the foreseeable future.

He did not let anyone know whether Putin agreed to the idea.

It is uncertain whether, when and where there will be a summit.

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The trigger for Biden's unexpected advance is likely to be the Ukraine conflict, specifically the recent massive Russian troop deployment along the border with Ukraine.

In the telephone conversation with Putin, Biden was "concerned" about the Russian troop transfers to the border with Ukraine and called on Moscow to de-escalate, as the White House announced.

The US President had stressed the US's "unwavering" support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The Kremlin mentioned that the two presidents had exchanged views on the "internal Ukrainian crisis".

Trump presented himself as Putin's friend

The relationship between Biden and Putin is considered strained, far less amicable than the relationship between Trump and Putin.

"I think we will have an extraordinary relationship," Trump whispered in Helsinki in 2018: "Getting along with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing." The "non-politician" Trump repeatedly presented himself as a "friend" of Putin washed up with water.

As a businessman, before moving into the White House, Trump had even planned the construction of a "Trump Tower" in Moscow and was considering providing the Putin skyscraper's penthouse, which was valued at 50 million dollars.

The strained relationship between Presidents Biden and Putin only recently suffered another dent.

During a television interview in March, Biden replied in the affirmative when asked whether Putin was a “killer”.

He pressed his lips together briefly, said: "I will." Biden himself did not use the word "killer" in his mouth.

His statement can be understood as a fundamental assessment, although there is some dispute in Washington as to how wise this statement was.

It didn't seem to have been planned.

Biden is prone to verbal accidents of varying degrees.

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Biden threatened to “pay” for the poisoning of the Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny.

It was not more specific.

Trump had always downplayed the poisoning of Nawalny, rarely mentioned it and when asked about a lack of evidence.

During his said TV interview in March, Biden reported on an encounter with Putin several years ago.

Biden, then Vice President, said to Putin, then Russian Prime Minister: “I look into your eyes.

I don't think you have a soul. "Putin then said:" We understand each other. "

Biden does not lack clear words

During one of his first speeches as president, before the virtual Munich security conference in February, Biden did not lack clear words about Moscow.

"The Kremlin is attacking our democracies and institutions," Biden said.

Putin wants to weaken European projects and undermine the transatlantic partnership.

Biden knows that China, like Russia, want to split the transatlantic partnership.

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Russia had annexed Crimea and Eastern Ukraine during Biden's tenure as US Vice President.

The Barack Obama / Biden administration at the time was accused of a lack of hardship towards Putin in its own country.

There is much to suggest that Biden is now doing everything in order not to give the impression of a "soft" line in the first place.

In addition, Biden tries to cooperate.

Both heads of state have already extended the New START nuclear disarmament treaty.

Biden invited Putin to participate in a virtual climate summit on April 22nd / 23rd.

April in preparation for the UN climate change conference COP in Glasgow in November.

In recent years, Biden's Democratic Party has always been extremely critical of Russia.

Accordingly, Moscow tried again in 2020 to promote an election for Trump - and Biden's defeat.

A recent intelligence report on foreign interference in the US election on November 3, 2020 names Putin by name.

It stated that Putin and his government had "either circulated or at least approved" misleading or unsubstantiated allegations against Biden.

This was a "key element" of the Moscow strategy.

Democrats and Republicans have imposed various sanctions against Russia in recent years.

"Sanctions are a central element of US policy to combat and deter malicious Russian behavior," said a congressional report.

The Biden administration, like the Trump administration before it, is calling on Germany to put the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project on hold.

Meanwhile, Biden announced another turning point in American foreign and security policy.

According to government sources, he wants to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the USA.

A senior US government official said Tuesday that the orderly withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan should begin before May 1 and be completed by September 11 at the latest.

Biden will be judged on the announcements

Under Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, the US government had agreed with the Taliban to withdraw by May 1.

There are currently around 3,500 US soldiers in Afghanistan.

At the peak it had been 100,000.

Trump had announced two election campaigns and one presidency that he would end America's "endless wars".

Although he reduced the number of soldiers in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, he did not succeed in saying goodbye.

Biden will be judged by recent announcements.

Large sections of the two parties and the population have long been calling for an end to their engagement in Afghanistan and other countries.