Biden and Putin hold high-stakes Geneva summit

By Peter Wilkinson, Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Aditi Sangal, Melissa Macaya, Nick Thompson, Meg Wagner, Melissa Mahtani and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 0841 GMT (1641 HKT) June 17, 2021

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1:38 p.m. ET, June 16, 2021

Biden: Putin "knows there are consequences" if there's more election meddling or cyberattacks

Following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden was asked about what consequences there will be if there is further election meddling or other cybersecurity attacks against the US.

"He knows there are consequences," Biden told reporters in Geneva. "He knows I will take action."

Biden continued:

"Let's get this straight: How would it be if the United States were viewed by the rest of the world as interfering with the elections directly of other countries and everybody knew it? What would it be like if we engaged in activities that he's engaged in? It diminishes the standing of a country that is desperately trying to make sure it maintains its standing as a major world power."

4:34 p.m. ET, June 16, 2021

Why Biden wanted to meet with Putin in person

From CNN's Adrienne Vogt

US President Joe Biden explained why he thought it was important to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in person.

"It was important to meet in person so there could be no mistake about or misrepresentations about what I wanted to communicate. I did what I came to do," Biden said.

"Number one, identify areas of practical work our two countries could do to advance our mutual interest and also benefit the world. Two, communicate directly, directly, that the United States would respond to actions that impair our vital interests or those of our allies. And three, to clearly lay out our country's priorities and our values so he heard it straight from me," Biden said.

1:31 p.m. ET, June 16, 2021

Biden says he told Putin his agenda is "not against Russia" but "for the American people"

From CNN's Adrienne Vogt

After meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden said the two leaders "share a unique responsibility to manage the relationship between two powerful and proud countries, a relationship that has to be stable and predictable."

"Where we have differences, I want President Putin to understand why I say what I say, and why I do what I do, and how we'll respond to different actions that harm America's interests. I told President Putin my agenda is not against Russia or anybody else. It's for the American people," Biden said.

The US President said his agenda includes fighting Covid-19, rebuilding the US economy, re-establishing relationships around the world with allies and protecting Americans.

1:42 p.m. ET, June 16, 2021

Biden to Putin: Certain critical US infrastructure should be off limits to cyberattacks, period.

From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury

US President Joe Biden said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin spent a "great deal of time" discussing cybersecurity during their bilateral meeting in Geneva.

"I talked about the proposition that certain critical infrastructure should be off limits to attack, period. By cyber or any other means," Biden said during his remarks at a news conference following his meeting with Putin.

"I gave them a list... 16 specific entities, 16 defined as critical infrastructure under US policy, from the energy sector to our water systems. Of course the principle is one thing, it has to be backed up by practice. Responsible countries need to take action against criminals that conduct ransomware activities on their territory. So, we agreed to task experts in both our countries to work on specific understandings about what is off limits and to follow-up on specific cases that originate in other countries, and that's either of our countries," Biden said.

1:33 p.m. ET, June 16, 2021

Biden told Putin he will continue to raise concerns about human rights violations

US President Joe Biden said he told Russian President Vladimir Putin "human rights is always going to be on the table."

"It's not about just going after Russia when they violate human rights, it's about who we are," Biden said.

Biden said he "made it clear" to Putin that he will continue to speak out against cases where there are human rights violations concerns.

"I pointed out to him, that's why we are going to raise our concerns about cases, like Alexei Navalny. I made it clear to President Putin, and will continue to raise issues of fundamental human rights, because that's what we are. That's who we are," he said.

4:33 p.m. ET, June 16, 2021

NOW: President Biden holds news conference after Putin

From CNN's Kevin Liptak and Phil Mattingly

US President Joe Biden is holding a news conference now after wrapping talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier today in Geneva.

"There's no substitute, as those of you have covered me for a while know, for face-to-face dialogue between leaders, none," Biden said about their meeting. "President Putin and I share a unique responsibility to manage the relationship between two powerful and proud countries. A relationship that has to be stable and predictable. And we should be able to cooperate where it's in our mutual interests, and where we have differences, I wanted President Putin to understand why I say what I say, and why I do what I do, and how we will respond to specific kinds of actions that harms America's interests."

"I told President Putin my agenda is not against Russia or anybody else. It's for the American people," he continued.

Putin held his own solo news conference before Biden, where he said US and Russian ambassadors will return to their diplomatic posts and that both countries will begin consultations on cybersecurity. He described the summit as "constructive" and "productive" on the whole.

The official meetings between both leaders today were broken into two rounds, one a smaller session and the second with larger delegations. The total run time came in shorter than the four to five hours officials initially predicted for the summit.

4:32 p.m. ET, June 16, 2021

Biden gave Putin a pair of custom aviator sunglasses

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

US President Joe Biden gifted Russian President Vladimir Putin with a pair of custom aviator sunglasses, according to a White House official.

"President Biden also gifted President Putin a pair of custom Aviators made by Randolph USA. In 1978, Randolph joined forces with the US military to produce the HGU-4/P Aviator designed for fighter pilots. They have since provided the US military and NATO partners with their high-level, durable aviators, manufactured domestically in their Massachusetts factory," the official noted.

Biden also gave Putin a crystal sculpture of an American Bison by Steuben Glass of New York.

"A stately interpretation of one of our nation’s most majestic mammals and representative of strength, unity, resilience. In 2016, it was officially named the national mammal of the United States when the Obama-Biden Administration signed the National Bison Legacy Act into law. In Russia, over the past 20 years, European bison were reintroduced by rewilding numerous sites after their extinction in 1927. 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 official said.

4:32 p.m. ET, June 16, 2021

White House officials not surprised by Putin's press conference performance

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

White House officials say they are not surprised by Vladimir Putin's equivocal, denial-filled performance at his press conference, noting his language is unchanged from when he is pressed on issues of cybercrime, human rights and Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden did not enter the talks believing he would magically be able to change Putin’s rhetoric, much less his behavior, an official says. They watched his press conference closely and took note of places where Biden might need to respond.

But they had some plans already in place given the expectation Putin would use his appearance to turn around and put questions on human rights back on the United States.

1:16 p.m. ET, June 16, 2021

Putin displayed his "classic" whataboutism play, Trump's former top Russia adviser says

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin displayed his “classic” whataboutism play at the news conference after his meeting with US President Joe Biden concluded, former Top Russia Adviser to President Trump Fiona Hill said.

“His tone was dispassionate and matter of fact and slightly cynical,” she said. “This whataboutism is a classic Putin play as well, just turning every question back to either to the questioner or also to things that are happening in the United States or whichever country that he's meeting with.”

Hill said it was clear that Putin wanted to keep the tone “generally cordial.”

“There was no chest thumping about the meeting,” she added.

The big takeaway from Hill: Putin will not let up on the dirty tricks or on the whataboutism. This is at least a start to try to get some kind of anchor in the relationship to set the tone on the stage for other meetings.