Biden and Putin agree to resume nuclear talks, return ambassadors to posts

President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to resume stalled nuclear talks and return their respective ambassadors to their foreign posts.

Biden called the talks in Geneva “good, positive.” He said they were not “done in a hyperbolic atmosphere.”

Biden proposed a list of 16 critical infrastructure entities that would be “off-limits” to cyberattacks and draw a government response if they were targeted.

President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Wednesday to resume stalled nuclear talks and return their ambassadors to their foreign posts, two concrete outcomes that emerged from their summit in Geneva.

Putin said at a press conference that his talks with Biden were “very productive” and “there has been no hostility” between the two.

Biden echoed this sentiment at his own press conference, calling the talks “good, positive.” He added that the talks were not “done in a hyperbolic atmosphere — that is too much of what is going on.”

Currently, neither Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, nor Washington’s ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan, is stationed at his post. Both men were recalled this spring after Biden announced a fresh round of U.S. sanctions aimed at punishing Russia for a massive cyberattack last year on American government agencies. 

As a result, consular operations, visas and other diplomatic services in both countries effectively ground to a halt. This breakdown had a ripple effect on industries, families and aid groups that maintain ties in both countries.

Source : CNBC