White House take measures to avoid direct Biden-Putin clash at G-20
President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin may clash in a high-stakes confrontation at the G-20 summit in Indonesia scheduled for next month as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine grows more hazardous.
To cub the looming clash, diplomatic protocols by White House are underway that will ensure a smooth assembly.
In order to have an opportunity to discuss the release of American inmates, including WNBA star Brittney Griner, Biden last week opened the door to meeting Putin at the summit. But according to several administration officials who are not permitted to publicly disclose private negotiations, there are no talks about a deal being made with the Kremlin right now, and that doesn’t seem likely to change.
Reports from officials confirm, it can’t be ruled out that Biden and Putin may cross paths at some point during the summit.
However, U.S. officials have disregarded the possibility of a formal meeting and are taking precautions to make sure that the American president does not run into his Russian counterpart in a hallway or even in a picture of world leaders.
“We know what President Biden thinks about President Putin: he thinks he’s a killer, he thinks he’s a war criminal,” said William Taylor, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. “You don’t usually meet with killers and war criminals.”
During Biden’s presidency, the two had only interacted once, at a conference in Geneva in the summer of 2021. The two men spoke multiple times while Russia threatened to invade Ukraine; the most recent was in February, just days before the war started.
The G-20 summit, which will take place along Bali’s stunning beaches, will be the most eagerly anticipated international conference in recent memory.
