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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."

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.

Jun 16, 2021, 9:09 AM EDT

Biden to use summit to talk directly, clearly with Putin about differences: Blinken

One critical message the president will carry, according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, is demanding that Russia stop "harboring in any way criminal organizations engaged in cyberattacks, including ransomware" and urging "Russian cooperation in dealing with these criminal organizations to the extent they're operating from Russian territory."

But tough talk and mounting U.S. sanctions have not deterred Russian behavior, from crackdowns against domestic political opposition and pro-democracy movements to aggression overseas against neighbors Ukraine and Georgia or western democracies and their elections.

Pressed on that Sunday by ABC "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz, Blinken said U.S. sanctions "can be" effective, "especially when they're done in coordination with other countries."

To that end, he emphasized what the administration had said was the importance of Biden meeting American allies in the Group of Seven, NATO and the European Union before sitting down with Putin.

But some of those alliances are bruised after four years of former President Donald Trump's badgering and questioning -- with many Europeans in particular unsure whether "Trumpism" is here to stay or whether "America is back," as Biden has made his tagline for this trip.

Blinken didn't take that political question head on, but he said the U.S. and its allied democracies have "to actually demonstrate in concrete ways that democracies working together are making a difference for their people and for people around the world" -- especially in contrast to Russia and China.

-ABC News' Conor Finnegan

Jun 16, 2021, 8:49 AM EDT

WH disputes Biden nodded when he and Putin asked whether they trust each other during 'chaotic' photo op

Biden and Putin's first -- and likely only -- photo op inside their summit was met with a chaotic scene.

According to a pool report, the chaos began outside the room with "10 minutes of a shoving match" between the U.S. and Russian security, press and delegations, with each side aiming to get inside. American reporters were first to go in but not all were let inside.

Already seated, Biden nodded while they shouted questions, including whether the two leaders can trust each other -- but the White House is already disputing that Biden was nodding yes to that.

"It was a chaotic scrum with reporters shouting over each other. @POTUS was very clearly not responding to any one question, but nodding in acknowledgment to the press generally. He said just two days ago in his presser: 'verify, then trust," White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said in a tweet.

President Joe Biden meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, June 16, 2021, at the 'Villa la Grange', in Geneva, Switzerland.
Patrick Semansky/AP

Another reporter asked Putin if he feared imprisoned Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and what he would do if Ukraine is allowed to join NATO. Putin didn't answer.

On the way out, another shoving match ensued.

"Lots of shoving and grabbing - it was extremely aggressive," one American pool reporter said. "The Russian security pulled on our clothes and shoved us as we tried to stay in the room. They eventually pushed us out the door."

Jun 16, 2021, 8:00 AM EDT

Biden and Putin sit down for 1st summit meeting

Inside Villa La Grange, the high-stakes summit has officially kicked off.

Speaking to reporters briefly at the top of their first closed-door sit-down, Putin said he hoped for a "productive" meeting, and Biden said "it is always good to meet face-to-face."

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russia's President Vladimir Putin meet for the U.S.-Russia summit at Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021.
Denis Balibouse/Pool via Reuters

While the scene was chaotic, both leaders looked comfortable. Biden, who was the first to extend his hand for a handshake earlier, sat with his legs crossed, hands in his lap and was seen smiling at several points. Putin also leaned back in his chair, as he often does.

Seated in a library before their respective country's flag and with a globe in between, the pair were joined by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for the first small session of the day.

PHOTO: From left, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have their photos taken ahead of the US-Russia summit at the Villa La Grange, in Geneva on June 16, 2021.
From left, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have their photos taken ahead of the US-Russia summit at the Villa La Grange, in Geneva on June 16, 2021.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden during their meeting at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, June 16, 2021.
Mikhail Metzel/POOL/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

Jun 16, 2021, 7:39 AM EDT

Biden and Putin shake hands

Following brief remarks from Swiss President Guy Parmelin wishing them well, Biden and Putin shook hands in front of cameras, with both men grinning, before entering the summit site.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S President Joe Biden shake hands during their meeting at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland in Geneva, June 16, 2021.
Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

Biden and Putin's meeting is expected to last four to five hours total with multiple sessions.

First, they're taking part in a small session, joined by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, ahead of a larger working session.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S President Joe Biden shake hands during their meeting at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, June 16, 2021.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Biden and Putin are also expected to hold dueling, solo press conferences following the summit.

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