U.S. President Joe Biden justified his decision not to appear publicly alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin during their upcoming meeting on Wednesday in Geneva. Biden told reporters at the conclusion of the G7 summit in Britain on Sunday that “this is not a race about who can perform better in a press conference where we try to embarrass each other. It’s about clarifying my position significantly regarding the conditions for improving relations with Russia. We are not seeking conflict.”
The U.S. President pledged to be “very clear” with Putin during their anticipated discussions on a range of issues that concern the United States regarding Moscow. Biden acknowledged that the Russian president was correct in stating that relations between their countries had soured. He added, “Let me clarify that he is right. They have deteriorated, and it depends on how he acts in accordance with international standards, which he has failed to do in many cases.”
On another note, Biden mentioned that the G7 summit gathered the world's democracies to confront contemporary challenges. He said, “Everyone at the table recognized and understood the seriousness and challenges we face and the responsibility we have as democracies that we take pride in to promote them to the rest of the world.”
He affirmed that the United States has returned to international diplomacy through the summit, which reflected “exceptional cooperation and productivity,” while rallying his allies against Russia and China. He stated, “America has returned to the stage in full presence” in international affairs, noting that mutual defense within NATO is a “sacred duty,” and that democratic powers are engaged in “competition with those that are authoritarian.”
