If you're waiting for some big diplomatic takeaways from President Biden's Wednesday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin — don't hold your breath.
It could be "years," Politico writes, before we can gauge whether the much-criticized Biden-Putin bilat was a success or "even worth having." But, in the more immediate future, the public can satisfy its curiosity by keeping an eye on a few possible indicators.
Russia's movement around the Iran nuclear talks and its progressive relationship with China could serve as bellwethers of success in Geneva, Politico reports. Will Russia "suddenly" try to derail talks to bring the U.S. and Iran "back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal?" Will Chinese officials hold more meetings with Russian ones? The answers to both questions remain to be seen, but could potentially align with the outcome of Wednesday's meeting.
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Other indicators could include sanctions — whether or not the U.S. imposes more on Moscow — as well as Russian media analysis "in the coming days." Putin controls a "significant chunk of Russia media," Politico writes, so the framing of reports on the U.S. and Biden may serve as a reflection of the Geneva summit's impact (or lack thereof). Meanwhile, in U.S. media, Politico writes that "if there's a general reticence" among administration sources to divulge details, "it could mean some progress was made and the White House doesn't want to derail it."
Read more at Politico.
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