Biden gives Putin aviator sunglasses and a crystal American bison sculpture during summit
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President Joe Biden gifted Russian President Vladimir Putin a pair of his trademark aviator sunglasses during their historic summit in Geneva.
The custom pair of sunglasses was made by Randolph USA, a company with deep ties to NATO, according to White House officials.
"In 1978, Randolph joined forces with the U.S. military to produce the HGU-4/P Aviator designed for fighter pilots. They have since provided the U.S. military and NATO partners with their high-level, durable aviators, manufactured domestically in their Massachusetts factory," the White House said Wednesday.
Biden also gave Putin a crystal sculpture of an American bison by Steuben Glass of New York. The artwork is a nod to Russia's reintroduction of European bison, a slow process that has taken place over the past two decades.
"The sculpture will be presented on a cherry wood base, symbolic of our nation’s first president, George Washington, with a custom engraved inscription plaque commemorating the meeting between President Biden and President Putin," the White House said.
The Kremlin has not released details regarding Putin's gift to Biden. But in a statement, Putin said he and Biden were "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," he wrote.
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He added, "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."
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Tags: News, Biden, Biden Administration, White House, Vladimir Putin, Russia
Original Author: Naomi Lim
Original Location: Biden gives Putin aviator sunglasses and a crystal American bison sculpture during summit
