Biden and Putin meet for talks: Five things to know about their summit

No agreements expected from the two leaders meeting at 18th-century Swiss villa.

US President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin will meet in Geneva on Wednesday in a "closely watched piece of geopolitical theatre", American media reported.

Ties between US and Russia have been at their worst after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. US investigators and media blame Moscow for interfering in the 2016 presidential election and helping Donald Trump win that race.

The Kremlin and White House view the Geneva summit as a chance for the two presidents to map out how they will manage a difficult relationship over the next four years. Here are five things you need to know about their summit in an 18th-century Swiss villa.

Agenda

With a spate of ransomware attacks on US companies, the poisoning and jailing of a leading opposition in Russia, and Kremlin’s support for a crackdown on protesters in Belarus, there is a lot on the plate of the two leaders.

According to CNN, the talks represent a critical early political trial for Biden. “I had discussions with them (other world leaders) about what they thought was important from their perspective and what they thought was not important,” Biden told reporters on Monday.

A Kremlin aide said on Tuesday nuclear stability, climate change and cybersecurity were on the summit agenda, Reuters reported, as well as the outlook for Russian and US nationals imprisoned in either countries.

The aide said he was not sure any agreements could be reached.

Cooperation?

Strategic stability is one area where both sides could seek greater cooperation.

According to an ANI report, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US is hoping that the two presidents will come out of the meeting with clear instructions to their teams on "strategic stability." Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Kremlin, called "strategic stability" the most important subject of the summit.

The expression refers to the world's two biggest nuclear powers maintaining a balance of power that prevents them from sliding into open conflict. That includes the New START arms control treaty, which the U.S. and Russia agreed to extend within days of Biden taking office, CNN reported.

Both sides have an interest in having a more stable and predictable relationship in certain areas of global diplomacy, such as deepening agreements over arms control and tackling climate change.

Putin had participated in Biden's virtual climate summit in April.

Navalny imprisonment

Biden might ask Putin about Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s imprisonment. Experts are watching to see how specific Biden gets and whether he raises the jailing and poisoning of the Russian opposition leader and the banning of his political network.

In January, Navalny flew to Russia from Berlin, where he had spent nearly half a year recovering after he was poisoned last summer in Russia. He was arrested at passport control. A month later, a Russian court sentenced Navalny to more than two years in jail for parole violations.

According to several media reports, Biden warned on Monday that if Navalny died while in Russian custody, Moscow’s relationship with the rest of the world would further deteriorate.

In an interview with USA’s NBC News, Putin denied ordering a hit on Navalny and refused to guarantee that his critic would leave prison alive.

“Look, such decisions in this country are not made by the president,” Putin said.

Cybersecurity concerns

Biden is also expected to raise concerns over a series of ransomware attacks and other cybersecurity concerns with Putin.

Last month, a hacking group known as DarkSide with suspected ties to Russian criminals launched a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, forcing the US company to shut down approximately 5,500 miles of pipeline.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that President Biden will raise the issue of recent ransomware attacks and tell Putin that "states cannot be in the business of harboring those who are engaged in these kinds of attacks."

Russia has consistently denied any involvement in cyberattacks on the U.S. government and political institutions.

Putin has dismissed allegation of Russian involvement in attacks on the JBS meatpacking company and Colonial Pipeline as "nonsense" and "ridiculous."

No joint press conference

The decision to not hold a joint press conference was something for which White House officials had pushed. Officials have said Russia pushed for a joint press conference during negotiations about the summit, according to a CNN report.

But the US resisted because they did not want to give Putin a platform like he had after a 2018 summit with former President Donald Trump in Helsinki.

Later, Biden will be able to deliver his own message to reporters about the talks without the pressure of speaking alongside an adversary. Instead of potentially facing the press with dueling messages about US-Russia relations, Biden and Putin will hold solo press conferences following the summit.