Two days ahead of President Joe Biden’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden called Putin a “worthy adversary.”
Biden declined to say how he’ll measure the success of the meeting in advance.
Asked during a press conference after Monday’s NATO summit about the upcoming meeting, Biden wouldn’t offer any specifics on what he’s hoping to gain from his time with Putin.
Biden said they’ll discuss “areas where we can cooperate,” and he warned if Russia refuses to cooperate on issues like cybersecurity, “we will respond in kind.”
Biden said, however, that Putin is “bright” and “tough.” Biden expressed hopes the Russian president would show interest in “changing the perception the world has of him.”
When asked what would happen to the U.S.-Russia relationship if Putin opposition leader Alexei Navalny were to die in prison, Biden said it “would be a tragedy.”
“Navalny’s death would be another indication that Russia has no interest in abiding by basic, fundamental human rights,” Biden said.
