By showing earlier than cameras collectively just for a few moments at first of their assembly, Mr. Biden and Mr. Putin gave little indication of private chemistry. They shook palms however shared little of the body-language bonhomie that Mr. Trump did with Mr. Putin. In one small space of commonality, Mr. Biden gave a pair of his favourite aviator sun shades to Mr. Putin, who additionally loves sporting shades. And Mr. Putin famous that Mr. Biden shared tales about his mom, as he typically does.
They every voiced their divergent positions afterward, with Mr. Biden condemning Russian cyberattacks, worldwide aggression and home oppression and Mr. Putin participating in his typical what-about protection by citing objectionable American actions. In a truculent tone, Mr. Putin even defended his crackdown on nonviolent opposition figures like Mr. Navalny by saying he wished to keep away from an rebellion just like the Jan. 6 storming of the United States Capitol, a comparability Mr. Biden referred to as “ridiculous.” But they saved their criticisms from turning into private.
“It was businesslike, it was professional,” stated Angela E. Stent, a former nationwide intelligence officer on Russia and creator of books about Mr. Putin and the West. “Neither of them really gave ground on anything. But they seemed to have established something that could be a working relationship.”
