"Ways to rapprochement": how Putin and Biden in Geneva took a step towards each other

Five PCR tests on the way to the summit

The path to any big summit this year is paved with PCR test sticks.

If in order to get to the recent St. Petersburg Economic Forum it was necessary to go through this not very pleasant procedure three times, then at the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden the stakes increased.

And everyone who wanted to get to the Villa La Grange in Geneva from the Russian side had to go through contact with chopsticks as many as five times.

Moreover, three times at home before departure, and then once already in Switzerland - first the day before the summit, and then on the morning of the meeting.

The last test was scheduled for six in the morning.

And on this day, if you saw a person walking in the pre-dawn hour in the center of Geneva, still sleeping, then it was 100% Russian.

The sun had not yet risen, and there was an impressive line in front of the Mandarin Hotel, where the Russian headquarters was located.

Moreover, the practical significance of such global events was not obvious.

First, at the very site of the forum, the tested Russians immediately mixed with the untested Swiss.

Secondly, there were also Americans about whom nothing was known at all.

"Do they share the test results with us?"

- I asked one of those responsible for the security of the Russian delegation.

"They don't share anything at all!"

"Are we with them?"

"Well, we are in response too!"

Putin minute by minute 

Located in a park overlooking Lake Geneva, the villa turned out to be a very good choice.

The villa itself, to the surprise of almost all visitors, looked like a very miniature two-story house.

It was not even clear how two delegations of the two most influential people in the world would fit here.

However, no one had any complaints about the villa.

The Swiss side organized everything at the highest level.

Vladimir Putin flew to Geneva in his traditional intriguing manner - minute by minute.

And considering how carefully this day was scheduled, some journalists even began to worry - will they make it in time?

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Dmitry Peskov had to reassure those around him.

"Putin will arrive on time!"

He said confidently.

And so it happened: the Il-96 landed in Geneva, the Russian president moved to Aurus and half an hour later he shook hands with the Swiss president strictly on schedule.

Joe Biden, along with his huge motorcade, which even included an ambulance, arrived according to plan.

But the US President did not get out of his huge beast for more than a minute.

As it turned out, they could not find the personal photographer of the US President, who was lost somewhere in the motorcade, who was supposed to capture the exit.

But the photographer came running, and Biden came out, and after a while the handshake took place.

Door battle 

After that, Putin and Biden went to the already famous library, and on its doorstep the journalists arranged a colossal dump, sometimes even growing into a fight.

The whole point was that the American side completely refused to put cameras and the press in the meeting room in advance.

Almost all of their journalists came in a motorcade with Biden, which means that American feather sharks would be in a losing situation.

And our colleagues from the United States will never agree to this.

As a result, all those accredited for negotiations in a narrow format rushed to the door.

But even this would be half the trouble if Biden's security did not intervene and decided to regulate the traffic.

At first, they wanted to line up the journalists on two sides.

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• © Mikhail Metzel

"The Russian press is on the left, the American press is on the right!"

- shouted a representative of the White House, behind which four security guards stood in front of the doors at once.

Then they decided to change the concept and first skip the cameras, the tight crowd tried to rebuild.

Then they wanted to bring photographers into the hall.

With the eternal desire of American journalists to break forward, this resulted in complete chaos.

The piquancy of the situation was that at that moment, right outside the door, Putin and Biden were trying to start negotiations.

And they perfectly heard all the shouting and hubbub.

“I feel that until all the press is over, we will sit and disperse,” Putin reacted.

“I'm not sure if this will work,” replied Biden, who knows his journalists much better.

In the end, the journalists were simply kicked away so as not to overshadow the historical moment.

And no hostility

The negotiations lasted only four hours, although before they began, this line was considered the lowest bar of all possible.

But both Putin and Biden came to their press conferences each pleased.

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• © Sergey Guneev

“I believe that there was no hostility, on the contrary, our meeting was held, of course, in a principled manner, on many points our assessments differ, but nevertheless, both sides demonstrated a desire to understand each other and look for ways to bring their positions closer,” Putin described the meeting.

"The conversation was very constructive."

Everyone was allowed to attend Putin's press conference, including American journalists, who willingly took advantage of this.

Moreover, at some point, the conversation turned into an open discussion between the President of Russia and the Americans.

Putin not only answered them, but also asked them to return the microphone in order to hear objections and respond again.

“I have already answered your colleagues, I think CNN, but apparently these are the laws of the genre, which must be said, answering your question directly,” he told the most persistent reporter.

"Please, I will gladly do it again."

Russian journalists were not allowed to attend Biden's press conference.

Although Putin spoke about Biden himself in very flattering terms.

“I am convinced once again that President Biden is a very experienced person, this is quite obvious,” he said.

- We talked face to face with him for almost two hours.

Not all leaders have such a detailed face-to-face conversation. "

Before the summit, Putin said that he had a great idea of ​​what to expect from Biden and the United States.

Now he was asked if there were any new illusions, that is, expectations that may never come true.

“I didn’t have old ones either, but you’re talking about new ones,” Putin shrugged his shoulders.

- Where did you get the idea of ​​illusion?

There are no illusions and cannot be. "

Nevertheless, both sides agreed that the summit turned out, firstly, unexpectedly warm, and secondly, opening up the prospect of further joint actions in a multitude of areas. To begin with, the ambassadors recalled for consultations will return to Moscow and Washington in the coming days. And then numerous commissions will begin their work, discussing specific measures to bring the two countries closer together.