An Overview of the US-Russian Summit: Discussing foreign policy, cybercrime, and violations of human rights
News Analysis by Sara Nasser, Featured Writer
July 2nd, 2021
Waiting for this Summit was like waiting for Michael Scofield from “Prison Break” to escape prison. The US-initiated face-to-face meeting with Russia gathered both Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin for the first time as presidents. Both figures have met in the past, yet with tension and firmness surfacing each time – this led them to develop “negative” feelings towards one another over time. The Biden-Putin Summit took place in Geneva on June 16th, 2021, as agreed upon by the administration and the Kremlin. Thus, from the get-go, President Biden made it clear that the main elements “to be” discussed in the Summit were to be the key foreign policy issues such as arms control, cybersecurity, climate change, and the US-Russian relationship as well.
The suspense started with their “handshake”, which was initiated by President Biden out of respect. According to Mary Civiello, a body language expert, this handshake highlighted that both figures have known each other for quite some time. However, she stressed that it did not unveil a “friendly” trait of their relationship at all. Nonetheless, it showed signs of familiarity between both leaders. Therefore, Civiello concluded that the act was “equal in terms of the power dynamics”.
The outcomes of the summit were as positive as the handshake. Biden stated that the conversation was “straightforward” and labeled Russia as a powerful country. As well, the Russian leader affirmed that the meeting was “quite friendly” and praised Biden by calling him professional. However, the “cute” language did not last for long, given that Putin stated that “It certainly doesn't imply that we looked into each other's eyes and found a soul or swore eternal friendship”, which brings us back to Biden’s statement in 2011: “I’m looking into your eyes, and I don’t think you have a soul”.
The American President’s primary goal was to reinforce the US image as a bastion of democracy. Therefore, issues of fundamental human rights were the main points of the discussion. Since the United States believe that Russia is violating international laws and rules, President Biden affirmed to Putin that America would “respond” if these rules kept being desecrated. Moreover, he emphasized the democratic image of the US and stated that “we will continue to raise issues of fundamental human rights because that is what we are, that is who we are”. Biden shed light on many “wrong-doings” by Russian and stressed on the American intervention when it comes to violating the law in such ways. Correspondingly, the issue of Alexei Navalny – who is a Russian opposition leader that has been detained in prison since January 2021 - was brought up by Biden, whereby the president showed his real interest in human rights. And so, Biden made it clear that the United States would not remain silent if Navalny dies in prison, yet without clarifying the specific measures that he would take if it came to that.
Cybercrimes against US companies originated from Russia have posed a threat to the major powers’ relationship. Accordingly, numerous American email accounts were hacked by “SolarWinds attacks” (a software) carried out by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service. Therefore, cyber-attacks originating in Russia against American companies were a main topic of discussion during the tête-à-tête as well. Biden affirmed that Putin has a responsibility to stop such attacks and is in charge of taking measures accordingly. Moreover, the American President stressed on the US response if Russia would not implement effective measures: “If in fact they violate his basic norms, we will respond”. In other words, President Joe Biden clarified that partaking in a cyberwar is not to the advantage of any of the parties, evoking the American capability regarding “cyber”.
Although the expected outcome of the summit was “discussing” major issues, certain decisions were adopted by the Presidents. They agreed on cooperation sectors, including strategic stability and weapons control measures. As well, they decided to convene a "working alongside stability dialogue" of military and diplomatic specialists. In addition, a step forward towards a “democratic” relationship between Russia and America was the repatriation of each country's ambassadors to their respective postings. Moreover, a task team on cybercrime will be formed to fight these types of attacks.
Other key issues such as regional conflicts and climate change were addressed in the Biden-Putin Summit, but the focus was mostly on cybersecurity issues and the US-Russian relationship. As said by Biden, the main purpose of the meeting was to “discuss” and clarify the different views that both powers possess. The relationship that the Presidents have has led to several analyses and predictions to surface. The audience was impatiently waiting for this face-to-face meeting and expected tense outcomes as a result. The democratic image of the Biden administration was evident through the points of discussion brought up by the president. Certainly, this summit plays a major role when it comes to foreign policy and gives the world a vision of the future of foreign affairs.