A little bit of flattery can go a long away sometimes.
President Biden has made it clear in the weeks preceding his highly-anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Switzerland that he intends to stand his ground and speak bluntly about what he expects from the Kremlin during the discussions. But there's always room for some give and take in these situations. So, in his brief initial remarks before the talks kicked off Wednesday, Biden offered his counterpart a boost, referring to the U.S. and Russia as "two great powers."
The description is a change from the rhetoric of former President Barack Obama who, somewhat bitingly, referred to Russia as a "regional power" after it invaded Crimea in 2014, and Washington has often attempted to downplay Moscow's global role over the years, CNN's Kylie Atwood writes. But Biden appears to think it's wiser to operate on level ground when dealing with Putin.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.