That it is not an exaggeration to speak of a low point in Russian-American relations was made clear by the scene in Geneva.
The handshake of Presidents Biden and Putin in greeting was interpreted as an oracle for the outcome of the meeting and presented as great news in itself.
Historical comparisons were made: exactly sixty years ago Kennedy met with Khrushchev in Vienna;
From the young president's point of view, the meeting was a fiasco, the consequences of which the Germans quickly felt.
It is worrying that even during the Soviet Union there were more contacts between Moscow and Washington than there are today.
But who is it that the relationship between America and Russia is shattered three decades after the end of the Cold War, that NATO sees a threat in Eurasian power, that people are worried about world peace?
Putin's anti-western course
Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has taken a path that leads it further and further away from the democratic world of states. It acts as an aggressor towards Ukraine and tries to intimidate its neighbors. The entire repressive apparatus of the state is used against Putin's opponents at home. Democratic processes in western countries and their infrastructure are covered with hacker attacks. The truth is: Russia's rulers are afraid of democracy. His clients are dictators like Assad.
But a modus vivendi has to be found with this Russia too. Biden is already the fifth American president to deal with Putin. He had proposed the meeting. The fact that Putin consented to this shows that he is also not interested in the complete freezing of relations, especially since the West is becoming more united and has the means to respond appropriately to Russian aggression. Biden confronts the authoritarian regimes and offers a dialogue. One is necessary, the other sensible - even if it only led to a few tangible results in Geneva.