Biden-Poutine: simple summit or rendezvous with history?

There are these meetings that go beyond the precise moment they take place, such as face-to-face meetings between Russian and American leaders. They echo summits that have changed the course of history and carry consequences that are often only perceived after the fact. Hence the fascination for the first Biden-Poutin tête-à-tête on Wednesday.

The White House has been insisting in recent weeks on the importance of the initial stages of President Biden’s first overseas trip. And without a doubt, the G7 summit in England addressed serious issues: the fight against the pandemic, global vaccination or even global economic recovery.

It will not be any lighter Monday at the NATO summit in Brussels, where Joe Biden is expected to reaffirm the American commitment to the great military alliance, transatlantic security and collective defense. Same busy agenda the next day at the United States / European Union summit where, according to the president’s team, the leaders will discuss, among other things, the strengthening of democracy and digital cooperation.

Let us come back to earth, however: as serious can appear the exchanges, one had to hear the sighs of relief and see the complicit smiles at the G7 after four tumultuous years with Donald Trump to understand that everyone is these days on the same length of time. ‘wave.

Wednesday, the “fun” begins

No more glimmer of disagreement between the heads of state and government than between Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden, walking arm in arm on Friday after the official photo of the leaders. A complicity all the more surprising since the two men had never seen each other in person before.

President Biden, we are told in the White House, only wants a “more stable and predictable” diplomatic relationship with Russia. It would have been, let’s face it, easier to accomplish if Biden hadn’t denounced Vladimir Putin as “a killer” earlier this year.

That said, Joe Biden must avoid two big mistakes. The easiest, first, that of Donald Trump who, dismissing the conclusions of his intelligence services, took the Kremlin chief’s word for it when he assured him not to have intervened in the 2016 US presidential election. .

A failed reset

To this day, Trump is outraged that his flirtation with the Russian president has been found suspicious during his presidency. The Helsinki conference in June 2018 is not helping his cause.

The American president must, moreover, refrain from attempting a “reset” like Hillary Clinton, then Secretary of State, in March 2009. The staging – a button to press – had amused the Russians, in particular to because of the spelling error of the word in Cyrillic alphabet on the top, but ultimately had little impact.

Washington’s list of grievances against Moscow is long – from cyber attacks and destabilizing Russian activity in Ukraine, to human rights violations and interference in Western democracies – and as Vladimir Putin seems insensitive to the pressure and international sanctions, Joe Biden has no choice but to be direct. Prepare for sparks!