Will Biden perform differently from Trump in the summit with Putin?

The meeting comes as relations between the two sides have plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War over the Ukraine crisis, allegations of cyber attacks and new nuclear weapons that Russia is deploying. This will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Joe Biden took office.

Complex agenda

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the summit would “cover the full range of pressing issues” as the US seeks to “restore stability in relations with Russia.” That was also emphasized in a statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after meeting his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Iceland last week. Mr. Blinken said President Biden’s goal is to seek a “stable and predictable relationship” with Russia.

The agenda is expected to discuss Russia’s actions in the Ukraine crisis, Belarus’s interception of a civilian plane to arrest an opposition activist, the two countries’ efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, the fight against climate change, arms control agreements, and Russia’s alleged hacking of US companies and the US government. Ms. Jen Psaki said that there were no preconditions for this meeting.

The White House does not have high expectations for this Russia-US Summit. Analysts say that the meeting is unlikely to create a major breakthrough in bilateral relations and will hardly lay the foundation to reestablish Russia-US relations like what happened under former President Barack Obama.

Biden warned as a presidential candidate that U.S.-Russia relations would develop in complex ways, and now that he is in office, he is trying to find some common ground with his opponent on the road ahead, several U.S. officials said.

For its part, the Kremlin said the two leaders will discuss “the current state and prospects of bilateral relations, pressing issues on the international agenda, including interaction between Russia and the United States in dealing with the pandemic and resolving regional conflicts.”

"Soft touch, hard release" policy

Tensions between Russia and the United States have escalated, in part due to sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on Russia in April over the SolarWinds cyberattack and alleged election interference. Under President Biden’s Executive Order, the US imposed sanctions on 32 entities and individuals involved. Not stopping there, Russia and the US also responded by expelling a series of diplomats from both countries.

Russian Foreign Ministry comments on 'US concept of countering Russia'

Commenting on the statement of the Director of the US Agency for International Development, the Information and Publication Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry stated: Washington politicians are trying to prevent the normalization of Russia-US relations and are even seeking to further destroy them.

If the measures are considered “diplomatic whiplash,” the Biden administration’s announcement that it will exempt the Nord Stream 2 project from US congressional sanctions, which is nearing completion, could help ease tensions between the two sides. The decision also helps avoid straining relations with Germany, which is one of the Biden administration’s top concerns as it plans to restore US-EU relations. German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the plan to hold a US-Russia summit. “Diplomacy only works when the parties agree to talk to each other,” Merkel said.

Pressure to be different from Trump

President Biden's goals for Russia policy mark a sharp contrast to President Trump's four-year tenure.

When former President Donald Trump and President Putin had their first and only summit in Helsinki, Finland in July 2018, Trump caused controversy when he declared that he believed President Putin's assertion that Russia did not interfere in the US election despite the US intelligence community's contrary conclusions.

During his presidential campaign and throughout his time in office, Mr. Trump has expressed admiration for the Russian leader, even as his administration has passed several congressional sanctions against Moscow.

President Biden may have thought about this before his summit with Putin, said Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center.

“Biden will have to show at the meeting that he is not Donald Trump. He will have to take a tougher stance and will have to show the American people that he is winning a diplomatic victory over Russia,” said Dmitri Trenin. “This will not be an easy event.”

Likewise, President Putin is likely to demonstrate that Russia will never yield. In his April 2021 state of the nation address, Putin warned the United States and the West not to cross Russia’s “red lines.” “Anyone who threatens Russia will regret it and wish they had done it before,” Putin said.

Expectations for the summit

The Biden-Putin summit may not yield groundbreaking bilateral agreements, but it will certainly be of great significance. It will be an opportunity for the two leaders to establish direct contact in an effort to stabilize bilateral relations. According to analysts, President Biden and President Putin are likely to avoid “diplomatic theater” and immediately get down to solving problems.

Nord Stream 2 is a "difficult" issue between the US and Russia.

Although Biden has taken a tougher stance on Russia than his predecessor, Donald Trump, some analysts say the Kremlin also sees benefits in dealing with a more consistent and predictable administration in Washington. “We expect that if both sides make efforts, some of the factors that add to tensions will be removed,” Lavrov told reporters. “But it will not be quick and easy.”

Former Soviet leader Gorbachev - who had a summit with US President Reagan in Geneva in 1985 - also expressed optimism about the meeting, saying: "There is now a new president in the White House and Russia can negotiate with him."

For President Biden, this Russia-US Summit will be one of the biggest tests of his political career./.

Hong Anh