Biden and Putin Set to Meet for 4.5 Hours in Geneva on Wednesday

Russian President Vladimir Putin will bring a long laundry list of issues to discuss at his first summit with U.S. leader Joe Biden in Geneva on Wednesday even as the Kremlin says there’s little chance for a breakthrough in relations. The official agenda touches on bilateral relations, cybercrime, climate change and the Arctic, economic cooperation and regional security issues from around the globe, as well as issues that haven’t been agreed on ahead of time, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters in Moscow. “I’m looking at this meeting with practical, but not much, optimism,” Ushakov said. “This is the first meeting under such strained conditions that have developed in bilateral relations, and I think that both sides understand they need to clean up the rubble.” Talks are scheduled to last about 4-5 hours, including breaks and discussions involving the broader delegations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday. Putin will hold a press conference after the talks, he said. Expectations from the summit are low, with Moscow and Washington agreeing that the relationship is at a post-Cold War low. Biden plans to challenge Putin on sensitive issues including alleged Russian ransomware attacks, military actions in Ukraine, election interference and the treatment of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Putin spoke dismissively about these issues during an extensive and sometimes testy interview with NBC News in the run-up to the summit. He also raised long-held gripes over U.S. policy, including NATO expansion, its use of sanctions and its role destabilizing Libya. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube:    / bloomberg   Breaking News on YouTube:    / bloombergquicktakenews   Twitter:   / quicktake   Facebook:   / quicktake   Instagram:   / quicktake