Biden: "US-China Summit Productive...Prospects for Improved Relations" (Comprehensive)

Photo by CNN

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] U.S. President Joe Biden evaluated his summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 16th (local time) as a productive conversation during a press conference.

After concluding the U.S.-Russia summit held in Geneva, Switzerland, President Biden held a separate press conference and said, "Both sides agreed on the need to establish a stable and predictable relationship."

He added, "I hope they understand how we will respond to actions that harm U.S. interests," and showed a somewhat conciliatory stance by saying, "Our agenda is not to oppose Russia but to serve the American people."

Regarding why he thought it was important to meet Putin in person, he said, "It was important to meet directly to avoid mistakes or misinformation about what I wanted to convey, and I did what I came to do."

On allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election and hacking, he warned, "He knows there will be consequences, and he knows I will act." He also said, "We have significant cyber capabilities, and I informed President Putin of that. He knows it too," implying the possibility of retaliation depending on the situation.

Referring to Putin’s imprisoned political opponent Alexei Navalny, he emphasized, "I made it clear that (if he dies) it would be fatal for Russia."

In that context, he also mentioned the issue of Americans Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, who are detained in Russia on charges such as espionage, saying, "We agreed to discuss this separately."

He further explained, "No U.S. president can maintain the trust of the American people without speaking out to uphold our democratic values and universal, fundamental freedoms," adding, "That’s why I told Putin that human rights will always be on the table."

When asked if he trusts President Putin, Biden replied, "This is not a matter of trust," and said, "I think it’s about national interests and verification."

He assessed the overall atmosphere of the meeting that day as "positive," leaving room for the prospect of improved bilateral relations in the future.

President Biden self-evaluated, "(The meeting atmosphere) was quite frank," and said, "The overall tone of the meeting, which lasted about four hours, was good and positive. There were no threats."

President Biden emphasized that whether the content of the meeting will lead to progress in bilateral relations will be tested in the coming months. After the press conference, President Biden boarded Air Force One and departed Geneva for Washington, D.C.

Earlier, President Biden had taken a tough stance, referring to President Putin as a "killer" in March. However, ahead of this summit, he described him as "an adversary, but a worthy adversary."

President Putin, in an interview released by NBC on the 11th, responded to Biden’s "killer" remark by saying, "During my term, I have generally been attacked," and "Nothing surprised me," engaging in a pre-summit war of nerves.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.