Putin said Biden forced him to be on his guard with his negotiating skills during the summit held on Wednesday in Geneva. The president highlighted the performance of his US peer during their recent personal meeting.

‘He knows the matter perfectly,’ Putin said, highlighting Biden’s ability to be ‘totally focused’, he warned. He further mentioned that the US president ‘knows what he wants to achieve and he does it very shrewdly,’ he added.

Putin expressed his opposition to the opinion of the media that the 78-year-old president is physically weak and noted that during the meeting he was in good shape, despite the long trip from his country and a European tour that included the G7 and NATO summits.

Regarding the personal significance of the meeting with Biden in the Swiss city, Russia’s head of State reflected that ‘when people stop talking, mutual reproaches and worries increase in those issues where they could be avoided.’

Putin underscored that the two defined the areas where Moscow and Washington can talk about a possible rapprochement of positions in the future. ‘There are issues that are of absolute interest and priority for both Russia and the United States’, he highlighted.

On the positive results of the meeting, he reiterated that they agreed to start consultations on strategic stability and cybersecurity.

The summit also approved the return of the Russian and US ambassadors to their respective offices and that the foreign ministries of both countries will be responsible for advancing the points of contact in the dialogue.

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