The leaders of Russia and the United States are scheduled to meet for their first presidential summit in the Swiss city of Geneva on 16 June, a meeting that will wrap up Biden's first European trip as US president.
US President Joe Biden on Monday shared an opinion on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, dubbing him “bright” and “tough”, as well as a “worthy adversary”.
His portrayal of Putin came during a press conference that followed a NATO summit in Brussels – one of many political meetings Biden has on the agenda of his European trip before it ends in Geneva in a tete-a-tete with the Russian President.
The description differs from one Biden earlier agreed with in March, after an ABC interviewer asked whether he believed Putin was a “killer”. On Monday, days before the summit with the Russian president, Biden dodged a question from a CNN correspondent asking if there were changes in Biden's view.
When responding to the question, the US president paused for several moments, before answering somewhat vaguely.
Elaborating on his agenda for the summit with Putin, the American leader said he will convey to his Russian counterpart that there are areas upon which the United States and Russia can cooperate “if he [Putin] chooses” to do so, while also pledging to lay down “red lines”.
The American president also touched upon the fate of jailed Russian opposition vlogger, Alexey Navalny, saying that it would be…
