Joe Biden stepping off Air Force One in Geneva on Tuesday
(Picture: AP)US President Joe Biden has touched down in Geneva ahead of his summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
Air Force One flew in from Brussels, landing at Cointrin airport on Tuesday afternoon.
He then went straight to his guarded hotel for talks with Swiss President Guy Parmelin, whose country represents US interests in Iran.
Mr Biden’s first meeting with Vladimir Putin since becoming US President in January comes almost a week after he attended the G7 summit in the UK and met with Boris Johnson - while his wife Jill was hosted by the prime minister’s new wife Carrie.
The President also took part in a Nato summit earlier this week, where he called Russia’s leader “tough”, “bright” and a “worthy adversary” ahead of their encounter.
They have put up Russian and American flags over the Pont du Mont Blanc here in Geneva ahead of the Biden-Putin summit tomorrow. President Biden is en route from Brussels now. pic.twitter.com/nem9TaTYCh
— Eamon Javers (@EamonJavers) June 15, 2021
The New York Times reported that some Nato leaders had expressed concerns that just by meeting with the Russian president, Mr Biden risked appearing soft on Russia.
The US leader has denied this, saying: “Every world leader here, as a member of Nato, has spoken today, and most have mentioned it, thanked me for meeting with Putin now.”
The city of Geneva has already put up American and Russian flags along their bridges to commemorate the historic summit between the two countries’ leaders and a CNBC reporter captured a photo of the scene.
Mr Biden and Mr Putin are reportedly meeting in the 18th-century Villa La Grange overlooking Lake Geneva.
