Live Updates: Biden and Putin hold press conferences after landmark summit
get the free appThe summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended around 11 a.m. ET, or 5 p.m. local time. It ended a little earlier than expected, but both leaders are expected to face reporters separately afterward.
Mr. Biden and Putin shook hands earlier Wednesday. News cameras were allowed into the room to photograph the two leaders sitting together before the talks began. The presidents were joined in the room for the first session of discussions by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, along with translators for each side.
Putin thanked Mr. Biden for showing initiative to arrange the summit and expressed hope that it would be a productive meeting.
Later sessions were to see a wider group of officials from both sides join the presidents and their top diplomats.
At a news conference on Monday, Mr. Biden declined to say what he wanted out of the meeting with the Russian leader, which comes after a series of cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure blamed on Russian hackers.
The U.S. and its allies have piled pressure on Putin over the cyberattacks and a range of other issues, including his country's backing of rebels in Ukraine, the crackdown on political dissidents in Russia, including opposition leader Alexey Navalny, American citizens jailed in Russia, and Moscow's weapons programs.
A recent CBS News poll found that the majority of Americans want Mr. Biden to take a tough stance with Putin, rather than opting for a more cooperative approach with the autocrat known for allowing human rights abuses.
Biden-Putin summit concludes
The highly anticipated summit between Mr. Biden and Putin concluded when an expanded bilateral meeting broke at 5:05 p.m. CEST, or 11:05 a.m. ET, according to a White House official.
The expanded bilateral meeting began at 4 p.m. local time, meaning it lasted barely an hour, and was not split into two parts as had been scheduled. Before that was a smaller bilateral meeting.
Next, Putin is expected to hold a solo press conference. Mr. Biden will hold a solo press conference after Putin's.
It is unclear when Mr. Biden's press conference will begin.
White House says Biden nod didn't indicate trust in Putin
The White House insists Mr. Biden did not indicate trust in Putin with a nod to a reporter who shouted a question at him during a chaotic photo opportunity ahead of the summit.
A pool reporter in the room said the president looked her "directly in the eye and nodded his head" in the affirmative when she asked him whether he trusts Putin.
A couple hours after the interaction, however, the White House gave a different interpretation of what had happened.
"During a chaotic free for all with members of the press shouting questions over each other, the President gave a general head nod in the direction of the media. He wasn't responding to any question or anything other than the chaos," Psaki said in a statement.
The journalist involved said they were "at the front of the room" with only one other reporter asking questions when the exchange occurred.
Biden and Putin shake hands before kicking off talks
President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin shook hands on the front steps of the hotel in Geneva, Switzerland that is hosting their summit on Wednesday, before going inside for the hours-long talks.
News cameras were allowed into the room to photograph the two leaders sitting together before the talks began. The presidents were joined in the room for the first session of discussions by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, along with translators for each side.
Putin thanked Mr. Biden for showing initiative to arrange the summit and expressed hope that it would be a productive meeting.
Later sessions were to see a wider group of officials from both sides join the presidents and their top diplomats.
Putin arrives in Geneva for summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Geneva at about midday local time (6 a.m. Eastern) on Wednesday, flying into Switzerland from Moscow less than an hour before he was expected to shake hands with U.S. President Joe Biden.
Mr. Biden flew into Geneva on Tuesday after a week of meetings with European allies.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov showed up at the hotel in Geneva where the summit is taking place ahead of his boss. He told Russian television in an interview aired before the meeting that Putin expected "difficult" talks with his American counterpart, but that Russia was approaching the summit with a "working" attitude, not a confrontational one.
Peskov said there was a need by both countries to "clear all the rubble" in bilateral relations, noting specifically Moscow's desire to regain control of Russian-owned properties in the U.S. that were seized by the American government years ago.
How to watch Biden's press conference after meeting Putin
- What: Mr. Biden gives a press conference after meeting with Putin
- Date: Wednesday, June 16
- Location: Villa La Grange, Geneva, Switzerland
- TV: A special report will air on CBS broadcast stations
- Online stream: Live on CBSN in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device.
- Follow: Live updates on CBSNews.com