6/17/2021

Biden | Jun. 17, 2021

 White House News in Chinese - About (weebly.com)

June 16, 2021
President Biden Talks to Reporters Before Departing Geneva, Switzerland
President Biden addressed more reporters' questions prior to departing Geneva, Switzerland for the United States.


 Remarks by President Biden Before Air Force One Departure 

JUNE 16, 2021SPEECHES AND REMARKS

Geneva Airport
Geneva, Switzerland
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I owe my last question an apology.  I shouldn’t have — I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy with the last answer I gave.
 
Anyway, thanks for being here.  And most of you have been here the whole route.  I really do think — not me, but I think we, the country, has put a different face on where we’ve been and where we’re going.  And I feel good about it.  I feel --
 
You know, one of things that I think, understandably, there was a good deal of skepticism about: would the G7 sign on and give America back it’s, sort of, leadership role.  I think it did.  It wasn’t me, but it meant they’re glad America is back.  They’re glad America is back, and they acted that way. 
 
And then, when we went to NATO, I think it was the same thing.  We had really good meetings there and real response, as well as the EU.  I didn’t get one single person — not one of the world leaders said to us anything other than thanking me for arranging a meeting with Putin.  And I thought, quite frankly, I was in a much better position to represent the West, after the previous three meetings with Putin, that — knowing that the rest of the West was behind us.  And so, I think — so I owe them all a debt of gratitude...   more


June 16, 2021
President Biden Holds News Conference

President Biden
 gave a summary of topics he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. He told reporters the tone of the discussion was good and positive. He said the two spoke about their disagreements but also areas of mutual interests. The summit between the two leaders capped President Biden’s first international trip with stops at the G-7, NATO, and U.S.-European Union summits.


Remarks by President Biden in Press Conference

JUNE 16, 2021SPEECHES AND REMARKSHôtel du Parc des Eaux-Vives

Geneva, Switzerland

THE PRESIDENT:  It’s been a long day for you all.  (Laughs.)  I know it was easy getting into the — the pre-meeting.  There was no problem getting through those doors, was it — was there? 
 
Anyway, hello, everyone.  Well, I’ve just finished the — the last meeting of this week’s long trip, the U.S.-Russian Summit.
 
And I know there were a lot of hype around this meeting, but it’s pretty straightforward to me — the meeting.  One, there is no substitute, as those of you who have covered me for a while know, for a face-to-face dialogue between leaders.  None.  And President Putin and I had a — share a unique responsibility to manage the relationship between two powerful and proud countries — a relationship that has to be stable and predictable.  And it should be able to — we should be able to cooperate where it’s in our mutual interests.
 
And where we have differences, I wanted President Putin to understand why I say what I say and why I do what I do, and how we’ll respond to specific kinds of actions that harm America’s interests.
 
Now, I told President Putin my agenda is not against Russia or anyone else; it’s for the American people: fighting COVID-19; rebuilding our economy; reestablishing our relationships around the world with our allies and friends; and protecting our people.  That’s my responsibility as President. 
 
I also told him that no President of the United States could keep faith with the American people if they did not speak out to defend our democratic values, to stand up for the universal rights and fundamental freedoms that all men and women have, in our view.  That’s just part of the DNA of our country...     more
Vladimir Putin delivers remarks after meeting with President Joe Biden
Jun 17, 2021
Russian President Vladimir Putin answers questions from the press after meeting with President Joe Biden in Geneva.
Putin and Biden seated at the start of the summit's first round of talks.
Biden, Putin Hail Positive Talks, But U.S. Warns on Cyber Warfare


Jun. 17 - ...But the summit immediately got off to a good start, with the two leaders shaking hands.

"We are trying to determine where we have a mutual interest, where we can cooperate; and where we don't, establish a predictable and rational way in which we disagree — two great powers," Biden said in opening remarks.

At his press conference after the summit, Putin signaled progress in a number of areas, including an agreement to "start consultations on cybersecurity."

But Putin also issued withering rejections of criticism over his human rights record and allegations of harboring cyber criminals.

He claimed instead that "the largest number of cyberattacks in the world are carried out from the U.S. space."

also sought to deflect criticism of his treatment of opponents — many high profile opposition figures have been killed in Russia during his rule and the media is almost entirely muzzled — saying that the United States had bigger problems.

Biden called Putin's critique "ridiculous."...     quoted from


US: Russia militarizes the Arctic. This is how Putin responded

Jun. 17 - The United States believes that Russia is interested in greater militarization of the Arctic, while Washington wants the region to remain a region of peaceful cooperation.

“They (Russia) declare that they share our conviction that the Arctic should remain a zone of peaceful cooperation. (…) But we have two problems. One of them is the steps that we see Russia taking, assuming that it is interested in greater militarization of the region, and we believe this directly contradicts our stated desire to ensure that the Arctic remains a zone of peaceful cooperation,” a senior US administration official said at a briefing. was distributed by the State Department.

He cited the Northern Sea Route as another problem. “Because the ice is melting so fast and because the road has already traveled for a much longer period of the year, it will increase traffic, and it can increase the potential for accidents, misunderstandings, miscalculations. And therefore we believe there is a reality there was a need for a clear understanding of traffic rules,” the official said.


“We will have to see if there are ways, both inside and outside the Arctic Council, to overcome some of these differences,” he added.

The official said that US President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin discussed the issue of cooperation in the Arctic during the June 16 summit in Geneva. “We declare our determination to preserve the Arctic as a region for peaceful cooperation. And there has been a discussion about that,” he said.


At the same time, at the briefing with journalists after the bilateral meeting, the Russian president answered the issue with the Arctic.

“The American side’s fears about the militarization of the Arctic have absolutely no basis, Putin said. We are not doing anything there that was not in the Soviet Union. We are rebuilding infrastructure that was once destroyed, infrastructure related to nature conservation” he said.

He then noted that Russia has the sovereign right not to allow ships into the inland waters of the Northern Sea Route, but does not abuse it.

We remind you that since last year, Russia has been taking steps to strengthen its military presence in the region. Military helicopters were sent, new military buildings were built, and S-400 air defense systems were deployed. Russia has sent several regiments to the area and is already testing specially manufactured drones to operate at very low temperatures, and they will also be stationed there.     source from

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U.S.-Russia Presidential Joint Statement on Strategic Stability

JUNE 16, 2021STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

We, President of the United States of America Joseph R. Biden and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, note the United States and Russia have demonstrated that, even in periods of tension, they are able to make progress on our shared goals of ensuring predictability in the strategic sphere, reducing the risk of armed conflicts and the threat of nuclear war.

The recent extension of the New START Treaty exemplifies our commitment to nuclear arms control. Today, we reaffirm the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.


Consistent with these goals, the United States and Russia will embark together on an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue in the near future that will be deliberate and robust. Through this Dialogue, we seek to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures.     source from