Putin and Biden will meet, what does Russia want from America?

Posted on 14th Jun 2021 by rohit kumar

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden are scheduled to meet in Geneva on June 16, but it will not be a meeting of two friends.

 

The reason for this is the increasing dispute between the relations between America and Russia. Both countries believe that their mutual relations are in the worst phase ever.

 

Russia recently put America on the list of countries whose relations with them are not friendly. These are officially termed as 'unfriendly states'. There is no ambassador in the countries.

 

At the same time, Russian officials have been banned by the US for everything from the annexation of Crimea to alleged interference in US elections.

 

Two former US Marines are in prison in Russia. One of them is serving a 16-year sentence for naval espionage.

 

Not only this, in an interview in March, US President Joe Biden even called Vladimir Putin a "killer".

 

In such an environment, this is the first meeting between Biden and Putin since Joe Biden became the President of America.

 

Why is this meeting important?

Andrei Kortnev, director of the RIAC think tank in Russia, says, “Symologically, this conference is very important. It sees Russia on par with America, and for Putin, this symbolism is no less important."

 

However, on Monday, Joe Biden is also to hold meetings at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, but all eyes are on the meeting with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. This meeting will not be for a while but will be a long conversation.

 

Political analyst Lilia Shevtsova says, "Putin wants to look like the US president. They want respect on their terms. They want to remain in the group of powerful leaders by showing their strength.

 

It is also important to select the city of Geneva for this meeting. It is reminiscent of the Cold War of 1985 when former US President Ronald Reagan and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met for the first time.

 

But, there is little chance that, like that meeting, any personal rapport between the two will be seen and the political ice will melt.

 

The White House has said it aims to build a "lasting" and "predictable" relationship with Russia.

 

But since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, it has been Putin's old method to keep people guessing and then surprising them.

 

This was also the beginning of the decline in relations between America and Russia.

 

Lilia Shevtsova says, “A more practical goal would be to check where each other's 'Lakshman Rekha is. As well as understanding how far the conversation can improve a broken relationship. If there is no dialogue, it will be more difficult to speculate about Russia.

 

what are the expectations?

Last week, Vladimir Putin said in the media that there are issues on which we can work with America. In these issues, he mentioned nuclear arms control, regional conflicts including Syria and Libya, and climate change.

 

Putin said, "If we find a way to work on the issues, then we can say that the meeting has not been in vain."

 

Some people in Russia say that some solutions can also be found in the ongoing diplomatic conflict.

 

The US has expelled dozens of Russian diplomats in recent years and closed two campuses.

 

US operations in Russia have also discussed preventing locals from hiring, which could mean cutting services, including visas.

 

At the same time, Russia can take a step forward and at least send its ambassador back to America.

 

America will also raise the issue of its marines locked in Russia.

 

Russia has recently pushed for a prisoner swap, but fulfilling its conditions seems impossible for the US. At the same time, there is very little chance of any relaxation from the Russian side.

 

hostility to the west

Vladimir Putin has repeatedly targeted Western countries. He believes that the biggest threat to Russia at this time is Western countries.

 

At an economic forum in St. Petersburg, he claimed again that the US wanted to "stop" Russia's development.

 

A few days ago, he threatened that he would "behead" any foreign invader who tried to "bite" Russia.

 

He insisted that the world needed to know about Russia's prestige and power.

 

chances of softening

Andrei Kourtnev admits, "As a rational leader, Putin seeks to minimize the harm and risks caused by adverse relations."

 

It also includes economic sanctions. With the new era restricting the government's ability to raise funds, further steps may go farther, putting pressure on the economy in an election year.

 

Andrei Kourtnev says, "The 'victory' in foreign policy is of no importance to the people of Russia, rather than solving domestic social and economic problems. Whatever Putin wants, I don't think he can benefit from it in domestic politics."

 

Putin does not want to listen to any lecture on human rights, but still, he is ready for it. Especially concerning his political rival Alexei Navelny. Navelni was poisoned earlier and is now in jail.