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

Biden will go before the press corps alone following his summit with Putin in Geneva on Wednesday. He defended that choice by saying he doesn't want the attention to be on physical details, but rather the substance of their discussions from their own points of view.

"I don't want to get into being diverted by, did they shake hands? How far did they -- who talked the most and the rest," Biden said in England on Sunday. "He can say what he said the meeting was about and I will say what I think the meeting was about. That's how I'm going to handle it."

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

As Biden's first foreign trip as president prepares to come to a close, he's announced a new slate of ambassadors to represent the United States -- another instance of the Biden administration showcasing their desire to restore the U.S. presence on the world stage. 

Biden's nominees include Ken Salazar for ambassador to Mexico, C. B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III, for the rank of ambassador during his tenure of service as representative of the U.S. on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization, Thomas R. Nides for ambassador to Israel, Julianne Smith, for the United States permanent representative to NATO, Dr. Cynthia Ann Telles for ambassador to Costa Rica, Julie Chung for ambassador to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Sharon Cromer for U.S. ambassador to the Republic of The Gambia, Troy Damian Fitrell for ambassador to the Republic of Guinea and Marc Ostfield for ambassador to the Republic of Paraguay.

A source familiar with the nominations underscored the diversity among the nominees, following the pledge Biden made to have an administration that "looks like America," and stressed that even the political picks bring relevant experience to the table for their respective roles. 

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Though the two leaders have met before, it will be Biden's first face-to-face with the foreign "adversary" since being elected president. 

During a phone call with Putin in April, Biden was the one to propose the meeting, tacked onto which will serve as a major test for the new president who is well acquainted with the Russian leader. 

Ahead of the summit, the White House tailored its message to emphasize that the meeting was taking place because of differences with Russia, not in spite of them. 

"This is not a contest about who can do better in front of a press conference or try to embarrass each other. It's about making myself very clear what the conditions are to get a better relationship are with Russia," Biden said during a news conference Sunday. 

"We're not looking for conflict. We are looking to resolve those actions which we think are inconsistent with international norms, number one. Number two, where we can work together," he continued. 

Wrapping up his first NATO summit since taking office, Biden said it was an "incredibly productive day" with American allies, which included individual meetings with roughly a dozen other leaders on the margins of the gathering. But the focus continues to be on his next major summit, when he comes face to face with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva on Wednesday.

Biden said there was a consensus among his fellow heads of state at NATO, saying they were "glad" he was meeting with Putin early in his presidency.

"Every world leader here that's a member of NATO that spoke today -- and most of them mentioned it -- thanked me for meeting with Putin now," Biden said in a press conference on Monday from the NATO headquarters in Brussels. "Every single one that spoke, and I think there were probably about 10 or 12 that spoke to it, saying they were happy that I did that, that I was going to do that."

The president has previously described Putin as a "killer," who has no soul and is a "KGB thug." Asked by ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega Monday about what he has learned from his previous meeting with him in 2016 and what his mindset is like walking into a summit with Putin, Biden said he is "bright" and "tough."

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

Biden was also asked how he could trust Putin coming out of their summit and the president said it wasn't so much about trusting him, but rather "agreeing."
"I'm hoping that -- that President Putin concludes that there is some interest, in terms of his own interest, in changing the perception that the world has of him," he said.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez