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Biden-Putin summit highlights: 'I did what I came to do,' Biden said

Putin called the summit in Geneva "constructive" and without "hostility."

ByLibby Cathey, Lauren King, and Morgan Winsor
Last Updated: June 16, 2021, 5:41 PM EDT

U.S. President Joe Biden held a high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday at what the leaders agree is a "low point" in the U.S.-Russia relationship.

The two men faced off inside an 18th-century Swiss villa, situated alongside a lake in the middle of Geneva's Parc de la Grange. The fifth American president to sit down with Putin, Biden has spoken with him and met him before, in 2016.

Having called Putin a "killer" and saying he's told him before he has no "soul," Biden told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega on Monday that he also recalled the Russian leader as being "bright" and "tough."

"And I have found that he is a -- as they say, when you used to play ball -- a worthy adversary," Biden said.

Highlights:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Jun 15, 2021, 4:12 PM EDT

Biden says he's 'always ready’ ahead of Putin meeting

Biden arrived in Geneva earlier Tuesday less than 24 hours ahead of his meeting with Putin, scheduled for Wednesday around 7 a.m. ET and expected to last several hours. 

Looking to project confidence ahead of the high-stakes summit, Biden didn’t miss a beat during a photo op Tuesday with Swiss President Guy Parmelin. 

"Mr. President, are you ready for tomorrow?" a reporter asked.

"I’m always ready," Biden replied.

President Joe Biden meets with Swiss President Guy Parmelin during a bilateral meeting in Geneva, June 15, 2021.
Patrick Semansky/AP

The meeting with the Swiss president was Biden's final public event for the day. 

When the president arrived earlier in Geneva, he was met with a long line of greeters, many dressed in colorful outfits, as he stepped off Air Force One.

President Joe Biden steps off Air Force One at Cointrin airport as he arrives ahead of a meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Geneva, June 15, 2021.
Denis Balibouse/Pool via Reuters

The White House said Biden will hold a solo press conference after meeting with Putin, where he will give his takeaways. Putin plans to do the same.

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