President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrive to meet at the 'Villa la Grange', in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. Putin, for his part, is expected to demand guarantees from Biden that the NATO military alliance will never expand to include Ukraine, which has long sought membership. The leader-to-leader conversation — Biden speaking from the Situation Room, Putin from his residence in Sochi — is expected to be one of the toughest of Biden's presidency and comes at a perilous time. "And President Biden has an opportunity to set the tone when he speaks with Putin." The Kremlin has made clear that Putin planned to seek binding guarantees from Biden precluding NATO's expansion to Ukraine.

Source: New Zealand Herald December 08, 2021 00:08 UTC