For Russian President Putin, who has met with four US presidents since 1999, the stakes were higher. In March and early April, Russia amassed tens of thousands of troops in Crimea and, Russia border with Ukraine. For a while, war seemed imminent until President Biden called Putin on April 13, telling him to de-escalate the tensions and offering to meet him in Geneva was a clear nod to the Russian leader. Second, Russia included the United States on the list of unfriendly countries and banned the embassy from hiring Russians. The US Embassy had to cut its staff by 75 percent. “Biden’s meeting with Putin will solve only one question, how not to allow a proper war,” Gennady Gudkov, a former Russian lawmaker-turned opposition leader quoted. Thirdly Alexey Mukhin, who heads the Moscow-based Center for Political Information, had said Arctic and Syria would dominate the talks as potential areas of cooperation. Fourthly, as Former Superpowers with plenty of their war weapons in their arsenal, Nuclear de-escalation, Strategic Arms Reduction treaties were also on the topic.
Fifthly Moscow is ramping up its military presence in the Arctic despite the six-month-long nights and nine-month-long winters because the region provides the shortest way for ballistic missiles from Russia to North America or the other way around. “We have concerns about some of the recent military activities in the Arctic,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in mid-May.
Last, Russia’s concerns in its backyard with some of its former allies joining NATO would be covered. The Kremlin has long been worried about NATO’s Aegis Ashore missile defense system in Romania and Poland. The US claims the system is designed to prevent a nuclear threat from Iran, but Moscow believes that the system may be upgraded to shoot long-range Tomahawk missiles at Russia.
The outcome of this meeting was mainly the decision to return Russian and US ambassadors to their workplaces in Washington and Moscow. In addition, the presidents declared the need to continue negotiations on strategic offensive weapons and agreed on the principles of interaction in cyberspace. Two countries could try to find certain compromises about the exchange of prisoners between Russia and the USA. The Russian Foreign Ministry and the US State Department will work in this direction. Mr. Biden further reported that Mr. Putin had offered help on Iran and Afghanistan, and accommodations were possible on the wars in Syria and Libya, where the two countries back the opposing sides. At the end of the summit, the leaders discussed a joint communique for strategic stability.
The Contentious issue is that the two leaders did not hold a joint press conference nor sign any joint documents. Mr. Biden said at his news conference, describing Mr. Putin as the struggling leader of a declining economy who was worried about the growth of an expansionist, aggressive China on his border. He has handed the Russian leader a list of 16 examples of critical infrastructure and had clarified that if they were attacked, “we have significant cyber capabilities, and would respond in a cyber way.”
However, China watched the summit with high tension, as it did not expect any improved relations between Russia and the US. Chinese think the US would like to rope Russia to contain China just as the world is being drawn into the most complicated diplomatic situation since the Cold War. China always wants to have US-Russia Tensions and proxy wars so that China can concentrate on Taiwan, South China Sea, Japan to India Border. China is worried as any understanding in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe to Africa between Russia and America could affect its debt-trap diplomacy to control the resources. China is also worried that President Biden has finally met almost all the leaders of the major world powers, except Chinese President Xi Jinping. Ukraine also wanted a meet with President Biden before his meet with Russian Leader to score a point over Russia, but it did not happen.
At Last, one can say that the summit was a win-win for both as the summit seemed to have met its goals. President Biden said “The tone of the entire meeting was good, positive. The bottom line is, I told President Putin that we need to have some basic rules of the road that we can all abide by.” Vladimir Putin went in the same tone. “He is a balanced and professional man, and he is very experienced. It seems to me that we spoke the same language.” Russian State Duma deputy and member of the international affairs committee Sergei Zheleznyak said “The summit could become an impetus to reduce tensions between our countries and gradually restore trust, though it is a two-way road.” While Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov felt, “Even though it is a brief text, the joint statement on strategic stability realizes the special responsibility of our two countries not only to our people but to the entire world.”
The final thought of Biden before he headed home, “As long as I’m president, we’re going to stick to the notion that we’re open, accountable, and transparent.” America is back was important to know. For India, if Russia and America come together and solve their contentious issues, it is good for the world. India does not want a proxy war of Russia or America in any part of the world. If both the Presidents sit and talk, many issues of geopolitics would be sorted out. Their cooperation in Cyber Security, India’s aim for a Nuclear Free World and Russia – America destroying and reducing stockpiles, respect to people’s verdict and local Governments in the world, cooperation in Multilateral Organizations for the wellbeing of the world during the Corona Pandemic, investigation on the origin of the disease was expected. But for now, both the Presidents have come one step ahead. Next remains Global Climate, Solar Alliances, Terrorism Internal, and externally, Human Rights, Democracy, Supply Chain, 6 G Research is working to waive Patents for COVID-19 Vaccines and more. For now, a step has been taken by them. Russia and the US have to move together for the peace of the world.
