Putin and Biden shook hands on arrival before going inside. "Mr President, I'd like to thank you for your initiative to meet today," Putin said, sitting next to Biden. The United States recalled its ambassador in April. The senior U.S. official said the United States was looking at "areas where working together can advance our national interests and make the world safer". In contrast to Trump, whose 2018 summit with Putin in Helsinki included a meeting accompanied only by interpreters, Biden and Putin are not expected to have any solo dealings.

Source: The Star June 16, 2021 12:33 UTC