Biden was found in subtext

The meeting of the President of Russia and the President of the United States, held on June 16 in Geneva, unexpectedly brought more positive emotions than expected.

At least, this follows from Vladimir Putin's confident answers to journalists' questions during the final press conference. Shortly before negotiations with the American side and a two-hour one-on-one conversation with President Biden, the Russian leader withstood a difficult conversation with correspondent Kir Simmons, a full recording of which appeared the day before the meeting with Biden, The Moscow Post correspondent reports.

Looking at a multi-meter rack with books, against the backdrop of which the presidents of Russia and the United States, accompanied by their main diplomats, were initially housed in the Geneva villa La Grange, you unwittingly recall that Sergey Lavrov in 2017 also paid attention to this particular correspondent. Then the tone and nature of the questions of the Englishman on the passport and the NBC News correspondent on the position, as well as his manner of behaving, were impeccable. The interview with Vladimir Putin, although it turned out to be tough in nature and even sinister and the tone of the questions, partially anticipated what Vladimir Putin told reporters in Geneva, where it became known that ambassadors would return to their jobs.

US President Joe Biden told reporters that he watched the broadcast of the press conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin following the summit in Geneva on Wednesday. "I heard a significant part of what was at President Putin's press conference," the American leader said. "As he said, it's all about practical, direct, pragmatic decisions that we need to make or not to make. We'll find out. "

Putin's "draw" failed

During an interview with Vladimir Putin, Simmons did not have an electronic tablet on his lap, but a puffy "questionnaire," prepared, perhaps, not without the help of profiling specialists. There are such methods of evaluating the interlocutor or answering questions. Simons, receiving answers from the Russian President to his questions, would "paint" a psychological portrait of Vladimir Putin and an image of Russia for NBC News viewers, and maybe for the US special services on the eve of the negotiations in Geneva.

It is believed that by asking acute, problematic, provocative questions that can bring a person to "white crippling," one can determine the degree of his conviction that he says, in his sincerity, predictability. It is clear that the Russian leader passed this test. At personal meetings, "said Vladimir Putin," people try to behave somehow correctly, and if "find out relations with each other and dog, fight," why then meet, waste time? Apparently, during the meeting in Geneva, swearing was avoided.

"I must say that the tone of our entire meeting, which I think lasted four hours, was good, positive," the American president emphasized.

Predictability and stability in relations between Russia and the United States became one of the topics of the past negotiations between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden. More precisely, for Russia, this is a problem of predictability in relations with a country whose leadership behavior is difficult to foresee, especially when changing the balance between the fiercely competing Democrats and Republicans. Russian-American relations were sacrificed to an acute domestic political struggle in the United States itself. The problem is presented to the public as it is considered appropriate for the ruling classes, for domestic political consumption. Russia, in particular, has been declared an enemy by American lawmakers.

True, Biden at a separate press conference following the talks said that the US agenda is not directed against Russia or any other country, but aims to protect United States citizens. He also said that Vladimir Putin, in his opinion, does not seek a new cold war with the United States.

The presidents adopted a joint statement on strategic stability following the summit. "Today we reaffirm our commitment to the principle that there can be no winners in a nuclear war, and it should never be unleashed," the statement said. In the near future, both countries will launch a comprehensive, substantive and energetic dialogue on strategic stability, the Kremlin press service reports. "Through such a dialogue, we seek to lay the foundation for future arms control and risk reduction measures," the statement said.

Biden was unpredictable

There is a lot of evidence that the behavior of the United States was not predictable, "Vladimir Putin said at a press conference in Geneva. Examples of this are withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty, withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran, from the treaty on intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles, and from the ABM treaty.

At the same time, Washington appreciates predictability in the behavior of others, especially when the lack of "desired predictability" may threaten their national interests. Hence the first, not very legible question to Vladimir Putin from the Anglo-American correspondent for Iran (this topic was not touched upon at a press conference). It seems that the authors of this deliberately inaudible plot were interested in the reaction of the Russian President to the prospects of the "non-proliferation regime" of technologies, especially for space and military purposes.

The answer was reassuring: "We do not want the militarization of space, cyberspace." The first task was solved, the "protection" of the non-proliferation regime should remain a common task. True, in the field of cyber security, the United States and its allies have yet to respond to Russia's proposals. "You refuse to work together. What can we do?, "Said Vladimir Putin. But in Geneva, it seems, they agreed on consultations in this area. Vladimir Putin cited data on the source countries of cyber attacks, that the American side has accumulated more than a hundred unresponsive Russian requests in a year and a half.

Moreover, "NATO announced that cyberspace ‒ this is the sphere of hostilities," he added in an interview with Simmons. One way or another, Russia's position is clear: "we want negotiations and non-proliferation in the cyber sphere." But NATO is a rudiment of the Cold War, was born in the Cold War era, but why it exists today is not very clear, "Vladimir Putin said in an interview. "Why should NATO be expanded eastward, bringing infrastructure closer to our borders? And you say we're the ones who are being aggressive. We voluntarily withdrew all our troops from Eastern Europe directly into a clean field, "he added.

"Basket for Other"

In the same interview, it was noted that Russia and China "have developed strategic partnership relations, which we have not previously achieved in the history of our states. A great level of trust and cooperation, and in all areas: in politics, in the economy, in the field of technology, in military-technical cooperation. We do not believe that China poses a threat to us. This is a friendly country. She does not declare us an enemy, as they did in the United States. "

It also became clear from the correspondent's questions that in the field of space, the United States will be jealous of the expansion of Russia's cooperation with China. The "lines of attack" during the interview was plentiful and China is one of the most important for the United States, after the non-proliferation of technology. "We see attempts to destroy relations between Russia and China, we see this in practical politics. And your questions are also related to this, "Vladimir Putin told NBC News.

The US government intervenes and is likely to continue to interfere in domestic political processes in Russia, supporting organizations funded from outside Russia and acting in the interests of their foreign sponsors. The activities of such organizations are regulated by the law on foreign agents.

"As for our non-systemic opposition and the citizen you mentioned. First, this person knew that he was violating the law in force in Russia. " Second, the blogger knew that he was wanted, deliberately went to be detained, "said Vladimir Putin.

Putin said that the topic of Ukraine was discussed at the meeting. "Yes, this topic was touched upon. I can't say that in great detail. But, as I understand President Biden, he agrees that the Minsk agreements should be at the heart of the settlement in eastern Ukraine, "the Russian President said. And then he added that "the only obligation of Russia in relation to Ukraine is the implementation of the Minsk agreements on the Donbass." Biden confirmed Washington's support for Ukraine.

The situation in Belarus has also become one of the topics of the summit, the parties have stated their positions.

Answering a question about Afghanistan, the owner of the White House noted: "He [Putin] asked us about Afghanistan, said that he hoped that we could maintain peace and security. And I said that this is largely due to you [Russia]. He indicated that he was ready, quote, to help on Afghanistan - I will not go into detail now - and help on Iran, "Biden emphasized.

The Russian leadership is already accustomed to living in conditions of unpredictable accusations, in conditions of "endless farce," said Vladimir Putin to NBC News. In this regard, the Simmons interview may even have been a useful episode of psychological preparation for communicating with a group of Biden negotiators in Geneva. For his part, Joe Biden praised the meeting in Geneva. "It was important to meet in person so that there were no mistakes and distortions in the facts of what I want to discuss," he said at a press conference following the talks. According to Biden, he and Putin identified various areas where the Russian Federation and the United States can work to "achieve mutual interests." Biden emphasized that it is "direct communication" that is important.