Putin and Biden prepare for summit in intense tension – OJornal Economicos

Arms control, global conflict, pandemics and climate change are some of the topics that Russian and US presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, respectively, will debate at the June 16 summit in Geneva – but the biggest of all challenges will be both. For countries trying to rebuild a relationship that is at one of its worst moments since the end of the Soviet Union.

Analysts didn’t expect much that Democrat Joe Biden’s arrival at the White House could be a good moment for relations between the two countries – not least because Vladimir Putin always seemed to have the personality of the former US president in a hurry, Donald Trump. Trump.

And things began to go well, as soon as Biden took office, a treaty between them on the non-proliferation of arms to save the ‘extremist’. But since then, for direct or indirect reasons, the relationship has soured – as in the case of Belarus.

At an economic forum in St Petersburg, Vladimir Putin referred to the matter to criticize the US stance, particularly the way the Moscow government has treated dissidents. Putin drew parallels to the events at the US Capitol before Biden’s inauguration and the way Belarusian officials responded to anti-government protests.

But after that – and a few more ‘barbs’ were dropped against Biden – the Russian president said, “We need to find a way to improve relations, which are currently at an extremely low level. No problem, but they have a problem with us: They want to hinder our development and they talk about it publicly. Economic constraints and attempts to influence our domestic policy stem from this desire. “

Still, Putin said he did not expect significant results at the summit with Biden and reiterated that Moscow is not to blame for current US-Russia relations. “We weren’t the first to sabotage relationships. We didn’t impose sanctions, but the United States, which takes every opportunity to do so, even if there is no basis, has done so,” he added. : “All empires think they are powerful and can make mistakes. But the problems keep on increasing and the day will come when they cannot be solved. America is following the path of the Soviet Union.”

In this context, the summit will certainly be a moment of tension, not a deterrent – ​​and if the talks are not positive, the relationship between the two will continue to be marked by threats and escalation of conflicts.