Biden-Putin summit

  • U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their summit meeting at Geneva, Switzerland. 
  • This is the first such bilateral meeting after Donald Trump and Putin met in Helsinki on July 16, 2018. 

NEW START TREATY 

  • Putin said he and Biden agreed to begin negotiations on nuclear talks to potentially replace the New START treaty limiting nuclear weapons after it expires in 2026. 
  • It is a treaty between the America and the Russia for further reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms. 
  • It came into force on 5th February, 2011 and successor to the START framework of 1991.
  • Washington broke off talks with Moscow in 2014 in response to Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea and its military intervention in support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. 
  • Talks resumed in 2017 but gained little traction and failed to produce an agreement on extending the New START treaty during the Trump administration.

RETURN OF AMBASSADORS

  • The Russian president said there was an agreement between the leaders to return their ambassadors to their respective postings.
  • Russia's ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, was recalled from Washington about three months ago after Biden called Putin a killer. 
  • US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan left Moscow almost two months ago, after Russia suggested he return to Washington for consultations.



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