President Joe Biden arrived in Geneva on Tuesday as US officials laid out the framework for long-awaited talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Air Force One Geneva 10:20 a.m. ET // 4:20 pm Local.
Officials on the plane said he would meet with Putin at 1pm local time on Wednesday (7 a.m. ET) in Lake Village, where the summit will take place. Putin will come to the village first.
The two will be welcomed by the President of Switzerland before the trio pose for a photo.
Their first meeting will be attended by four participants: Biden, Putin, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. There will be a translator on each page and there will be a photo session.
The meeting will be expanded to include five delegates from each side, except Biden and Putin. It is not yet clear who will participate for the United States.
U.S. officials said they expect the talks to last four to five hours or more. Leaders are not expected to share a meal.
“The bread was not allowed to break,” said a senior executive.
The two leaders will conclude separate press conferences.
Officials underlined the modest expectations for negotiations, citing nuclear stability and other arms control agreements as possible sources of agreement. They said it was possible to allocate collaborative areas to participants for additional work.
Ransomware is expected to be a key factor in the talks, and the official said Biden would underline US plans to respond to ongoing state-led attacks.
The official said Biden would promote human rights, but did not specify whether it would include a debate on opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Both the US and Russian ambassadors in their respective capitals will be in Geneva for talks.
The official said Biden was reviewing issues in writing and would engage with a variety of advisers prior to the summit.
