Biden-Putin meeting in Geneva: Schedule, issues and everything you need to know

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  • Source: Fox News
  • 06/16/2021
President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded an hours-long summit in Geneva just after 11 a.m. ET, before Putin took questions at a press conference before Biden held a separate news event.

Senior White House officials said before the meetnig that "nothing is off the table for an American president," adding that the U.S. president reviewed issues, written materials and engaged with a wide variety of advisers ahead of the meeting. The meeting came after Biden participated in the G-7 and NATO summits with allies from around the world.

What is the Biden-Putin meeting schedule?

Putin arrived in Geneva first, around 12:28 p.m. local time, which is 6:28 a.m. on the East Coast and 3:28 a.m. on the West Coast, accompanied by foreign ministers and a translator. Biden brought Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as well as a translator. Swiss President Guy Parmelin greeted the two leaders.

The three leaders participated in a photo op, with Biden and Putin shaking hands before the meeting.

At the start of the first meeting, Biden was asked by a reporter if he and Putin could trust each other, and whether he trusted the Russian president. Biden nodded affirmatively. White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said afterward that Biden was not nodding in reaction to any particular question.

"It was a chaotic scrum with reporters shouting over each other," Bedingfield tweeted. "He said just two days ago in his presser: 'verify, then trust.'"

Both Russian and U.S. ambassadors will be in Geneva during the high-stakes meeting, officials said, adding that returning ambassadors to their respective countries is on the table. 

After his press conference, Biden is expected to fly back to the U.S., concluding his first foreign trip as president.
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