Biden prepares to counter Putin’s tactics

Brussels and Geneva (CNN) – United States President Joe Biden is taking time off from his summit European tour this week According to officials, he is working to make serious preparations before talks with Vladimir Putin. Avoid the obstacles your ancestors faced In his conflicts with the leader of Russia.

Most of their formal meetings this week have started after noon, leaving them free to consult with morning counselors. He has held lengthy preparation sessions with senior officials such as Secretary of State Anthony Blinkan and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss the broader issues he plans to raise with Putin, from cyber attacks to Syria to Ukraine.

As he prepares for a meeting in Geneva, the president has consulted with foreign G7 leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, sources said. Putin appeared as a talking point during his tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, Biden told reporters, “I want to know” about the president of Russia.

Because some NATO allies had expressed concern In light of Biden’s summit with PutinSullivan said Biden would speak privately with leaders “about wanting to talk to Putin” during a security coalition meeting on Monday.

“He will have the opportunity to be heard and this way he will go to Geneva with the full support and solidarity of our NATO allies,” Sullivan told reporters in the Air Force on Sunday. Sullivan specifically cited Biden’s meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday as an opportunity to “compare notes.”

During the presidency, a U.S. As part of the tense preparation for the first encounter with the enemy, the scene in Switzerland begins to reflect the mood of the White House.

Security is being tightened in Geneva ahead of the summit on Wednesday. La Grunge Park in Geneva, the park where the two leaders hold their meetings with the 18th-century villa, has been completely closed to the public since last week and will remain so at least until Friday. Barbed wire is placed around the perimeter of the park, as well as on the street in some areas leading to the park entrance.

Serious study

Biden has now become the fifth U.S. president to meet with Putin, and officials want Biden to be prepared to deal with their tactics, including his habit of blaming the United States for the debates. About bad practices in Russia. Biden told his aides that he hoped Putin would respond bluntly during their conversations and would be ready to deliver a clear message.

He is so ready! Biden’s wife, First Lady Jill Biden, was surprised last week when asked if she was ready for a meeting with her husband Putin.

Along with Merkel, Biden has opened the door for entry into bilateral meetings and negotiations in recent days from two major alliances. The idea serves a dual purpose, aides said: “While Fiden’s foreign policy has protected him in his approach for decades, he sees the value of the views of others who have had similar meetings with the Russian leader.

Biden sees merit in making allies feel part of his process, as part of a clear US effort to come to terms with Putin. Following the public expression of solidarity among Western allies, according to a person familiar with the process.

But officials say Biden is preparing to discuss areas of mutual interest with Putin, which on Sunday listed a possible path to improve the relationship he recognized. It was at a low point. There are obvious issues ranging from the nuclear deal in Afghanistan and Iran to the nuclear capabilities of the two countries, where communication and working relations are essential.

But there are step-by-step steps that Biden can propose to establish a basis between a new administration and a historical adversary, said someone familiar with the product. The goal is not to make any dramatic progress, and both Biden and his aides are careful to make it clear that there is no expectation.

Instead, officials say Biden would like to consider the small steps that signal the establishment of a foundation in an effort to move towards a more “stable and predictable” relationship – the current goal stated by Biden and his team.

Putin is trying to deny a base

Biden He did not plan to hold a joint press conference with Putin After the summit, but only wants to talk to journalists. Officials say Russia forced a joint press conference during the summit talks. But the United States opposed the summit with President Donald Trump in Helsinki because it did not want to give Putin a platform like it had.

Officials said they were aware of Putin’s desire to take advantage of a US president and wanted to avoid escalating public competition.

“It’s not a contest of who can do better at a press conference or try to embarrass others,” Biden explained Sunday’s decision.

A White House official said Biden would meet with Putin in two sessions, one with a small group and one with a large aide.

Work is still underway with Russia to determine the exact nature of each meeting, or whether Biden will meet with Putin alone without comment.

The arrangements and news surrounding the summit were not entirely consistent. Some were surprised when Biden said he was open to cybercrime exchanges with Russia, a request Putin made in an earlier interview with the Russian state news agency DOS.

When asked during a press conference if Biden was “open to that kind of exchange with Vladimir Putin,” Biden said firmly: “Yes,” he said. “If there are crimes against Russia, I promise to hold them accountable if the perpetrators are kept in the United States.”

According to Bill Broder, a fierce critic of Putin, the idea reminded him of Putin’s advice during a joint press conference with Trump in Helsinki in 2018 that Russia could extradite criminals to the United States if the country became available. Question including broder for Russia Americans.

“I believe Biden did not plan to give me Putin in Geneva like Trump did in Helsinki,” Broder wrote on Twitter, calling Biden’s comments “somewhat confusing.”

Sullivan later sought to erase Biden’s comments, saying the president was not saying “I’m going to trade cybercriminals.”

“What I am saying is that if Vladimir Putin wants to come and say, ‘I am ready to ensure that cybercriminals are held accountable,’ Joe Biden is willing to volunteer and say that cybercriminals will be held accountable in the United States because they already are,” he said.

Biden is expected to release “some pretty tough news.”

The president has been suspicious of Putin for decades. Former President George W. Bush said after meeting Putin in Slovenia in June 2001 that Bush had seen him in the eye and had “got a glimpse of his soul.” Biden, then a senator and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, responded: “I do not trust Putin. We believe the president is more stylistic than serious.

Biden brought with him a large number of assistants on his first foreign trip. He traveled with Blingen to Cornwall in one of the Air Force, although the Secretary of State left for Brussels on his own plane. There is also Sullivan who went to the peaks with Pitan on the trip.

West Wing’s senior advisers Jen O’Malley travels with Dillon, Mike Tonilan and Bruce Reid Biden, press secretary Jen Zaki and communications director Kate Beddingfield.

There are also several National Security Council (NSC) officials, including NSC President Johannes Abraham, Deputy National Security Adviser Taleep Singh, NSC Senior Director Carlin Richel and Europe Senior Director Amanda Slot. Are.

Wednesday’s summit between Biden and Putin and its predictable outcome were the subject of substantial dialogue between other leaders gathered at NATO headquarters on Monday.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that Biden “will bring some tough news to President Putin in the next few days,” adding that he also discussed the summit with Biden. Receptions and sessions he organized during the first part of Biden’s journey.