Russian President Vladimir Putin described his American counterpart Joe Biden as a professional, pointing out that they were able to identify the points of contention between the two countries, in light of cautious Russian optimism and welcome the return of "common American logic" in dealing with contentious issues, after the summit held between the two leaders in Geneva.
Putin said on Thursday, the day after the summit, "Biden is a professional, and it is necessary to work with him very carefully so as not to miss anything. He himself does not miss anything. He knows what he wants to achieve and he does it skillfully."
He added that they were able to understand each other's positions on the basic issues that include many differences, and identified the points of contention, expressing his hope that Biden will be able to deal calmly with the Russian file during the coming period.
The two leaders met, on Wednesday, for about four hours in Geneva, in an effort to calm down after months of tension that led to an almost total break in diplomatic relations.
The summit did not result in much tangible progress, except for the agreement to start a dialogue on cyber security, the return of the two countries' ambassadors, and the signing of a short text on conducting a "dialogue on strategic stability."
arms control
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov described the prospects for dialogue on nuclear disarmament and the rejection of nuclear war as "a real achievement."
After Biden extended at the beginning of the year the "New Start" treaty on nuclear disarmament at the last minute before it expired, Ryabkov considered that this "constitutes a second step by Washington towards a return to common sense," according to what was quoted by the newspaper "Kommersant".
"The text (signed during the Geneva summit) is very short, but it is a joint document on strategic stability that shows the special responsibility of our two countries, not only towards our peoples, but before the whole world," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Echo of Moscow radio.
Among the most prominent contentious issues between Moscow and Washington are the armament treaties, the deployment of short and medium-range missiles, the military presence of America and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) near the border with Russia, Washington’s support for the Russian opposition, in addition to the human rights file inside Russia, and Moscow’s support for armed separatists in eastern Ukraine, as well as Syrian file.