In a summit with Macron, US president Joe Biden says he’s willing to meet with Vladimir Putin. How likely is it to happen?
US president Joe Biden said he’s “prepared to speak” to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The “big two” have never met since the war in Ukraine started, though Biden has done many diplomatic journeys all over the world.
The President of the United States signaled the intention of meeting with Putin in a summit yesterday with Emmanuel Macron. The French president, on his part, said he is arranging new phone calls with the Kremlin in the following days.
The only condition for a meeting between the two is, according to Biden, “an interest in Putin deciding he’s looking for a way to end the war.” He, however, has not done that, as Biden immediately pointed out.
So, as long as Putin does not want peace, Biden will not meet with him. In the meantime, the US president continued, it is absolutely critical to keep supporting the Ukrainian people.
If peace is the only condition Biden demands, it is not clear whether or not Putin would agree for a meeting himself. Already back in November, the Kremlin dismissed any possibility of a summit between the two.
Even at the G20 meeting, which Biden attended in earnest, there could be no face-to-face encounter with Putin. The Russian president decided to not attend the summit, sending his most important ministers instead.
Will there be peace
Biden said he’ll meet with Putin when he desires peace, but when would that ever be? The war in Ukraine is not going well for Russia, but they still occupy over 16% of Ukrainian territory.
Russia could even try to turn winter in their favor, especially after the constant bombing campaigns on civilian infrastructure. Without heating, water or shelter, Putin hopes to break the Ukrainian resistance.
There are also some talks of a renewed Russian offensive in the Donbass, where Ukrainians are entrenched in staunch defenses. Here, Putin could use his newly deployed troops which could have gotten to the front after September’s partial mobilization.
So, even if Ukraine has managed to snatch important victories from the jaws of defeat, Putin could still gain the upper hand. This winter will be crucial to see how the war will go and how long it will be.
If the West does not break under the energetic crisis, they will most certainly keep supporting Ukraine with weapons and supplies. At the same time, however, Russia still holds a numerical superiority in almost every field.
One thing is for certain: peace is not in sight.
