Biden-Putin summit: US demands a stop to Russian cyber attacks on critical infrastructure

• US president arrives in Geneva ahead of crunch summit with Putin

• Biden meets Putin: Six key issues to watch out for at summit

Joe Biden, the US President, has handed Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, a list of 16 critical infrastructure sectors that must be "off limits" from cyber attacks.

After a one-day summit in Geneva, Switzerland, Mr Biden said: "I did what I came to do," and that there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings.

In a partial healing of their diplomatic rift it was announced that each country's respective ambassadors will return to their posts as soon as is practically possible.

They have also announced that they "will embark together on an integrated bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue in the near future that will be deliberate and robust."

But there was also some bullish rhetoric. Mr Biden said: "We know each other well. We're not old friends. It's just business."

Mr Putin criticised American soldiers, gun deaths and mass protests.

The subject of Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned Russian opposition leader, was raised, and Mr Biden said that if he dies in prison "the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia."

Outside of political discussions, the pair talked about family and Mr Putin said he admired Mr Biden "level of his moral values." Mr Biden gifted Mr Putin a crystal sculpture of an American Bison by Steuben Glass of New York and a pair of custom Aviators made by Randolph USA.

The day got off to a rocky start after journalists and security personnel engaged in a "shoving match" before they started their talks in Geneva.

The two leaders spent around three hours talking - shorter than was expected - and are holding separate press conferences.

06:52 PM

Biden departs

In one week, he has visited the UK, Belgium and Switzerland and met with G7 leaders, Vladimir Putin and the Queen.

In his first trip abroad as President he wanted to impress on others that "America is back" and the feedback has been largely positive.

"I did what I came to do," he said, after the meeting with Mr Putin.

He is now on the plane home to Washington DC where he is facing a growing list of domestic challenges, including passing his $2 trillion infrastructure bill.

We'll be closing the live blog now, but there will be reports from our US Editor Nick Allen and our Russia Correspondent Nataliya Vasilyeva coming soon.

Read them online, or buy a paper tomorrow!

06:40 PM

An apology from Biden

Joe Biden has taken a moment to address the group of reporters huddled around Air Force One and apologise for being short with them at the end of his press conference.

"Sorry for being a wise guy" he said.

Earlier, reporters had been shouting questions about his confidence in Vladimir Putin and he became confrontational, saying: "When did I say that? When did I say I was confident?

"I'm not confident he'll change his behaviour."

The plane is now moving and he is about to take off from Geneva, flying back to Washington DC this evening.

05:58 PM

Last questions cause agitation

Mr Biden has picked up his jacket and sunglasses but is still taking shouted questions.

One reporter called him and Mr Biden "old friends" which got a short response.

"We know each other well. We're not old friends. It's just business," said Mr Biden.

It's all got slightly combative at the end.

Another reporter asks whether he is confident that Mr Putin will change his behaviour.

The president then approached the reporter asking "When did I say that? When did I say I was confident?

"I'm not confident he'll change his behaviour."

Another shouted question about the American prisoners in Russia receives the response "I'm not walking away from it."

And with that, he was gone.

05:52 PM

Again on cyber attacks

Actions taken by the Russian leader "diminish" his country's standing on the world stage.

"What would it be like if we engaged in activities that he's engaged in?

"It diminishes the standing of a country that is desperately trying to make sure it maintains its standing as a major world power."

He does say that he did not discuss taking military action as a response to ransomware attacks.

05:48 PM

Protester comparisons

Mr Biden is pressed on Mr Putin comparing Capitol rioters to Alexei Navalny's supporters.

"It is a ridiculous comparison."

It is one thing for people to literally break through barriers and get into the Capitol and another for people to peacefully protest in the street, he adds.

05:42 PM

Why was the summit short?

"When was the last time two heads of state spent two hours going head to head across the table?" says Mr Biden.

"As we brought in the larger group we had covered so much that there was a summary done by him and me, so we had to make sure we

"After two hours we looked at each other like...what next?

"What happens next is in 3-6 months we sit down and say did the things we discuss work? I'm not saying all of a sudden it's going to work."

05:39 PM

Cyber responses

"I told him we have significant cyber capability. He doesn't know exactly what, but he knows we can respond.

"The last thing he wants is a cold war."

In the meantime, Mr Biden has taken off his suit jacket and placed it on the ground. It is currently 31 degrees in Geneva and humidity is 31%.

05:37 PM

Trade with Russia

"I don't have a problem with doing trade with Russia," as long as they play by international rules, says Mr Biden.

The Russian people doing well is in everyone's interest, he adds.

05:34 PM

Navalny

Mr Biden is asked what would happen if Alexei Navalny, the jailed opposition leader, died in prison.

"I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia," says Mr Putin.

05:33 PM

Cyber attacks

Mr Biden said he told Mr Putin that critical infrastructure should be off limits. He said that Mr Putin said "it would matter" if Russian oil pipelines were hit by a ransomware attack.

"His credibility worldwide shrinks" if he interferes with elections, Mr Biden says.

05:31 PM

Tone was positive

"I did what I came to achieve," says Mr Biden.

He wanted to identify areas where the US and Russia can work together and benefit the world.

Lay out America's values and priorities "so he could hear it straight from me."

Mr Biden says: "The tone was good, positive. There was no strident action taken. Disagreements were not done in a hyperbolic atmosphere."

05:26 PM

Human rights

"Human rights is always on the table," says Mr Biden, adding that that is not just about Russia.

In a strong opening, he says "the bottom line is that they need basic rules of the road that they can all abide by."

He mentions Alexei Navalny and raises the issue of Americans in Russian custody, naming Paul Whelan, a former US marine convicted of spying, and Trevor Reed, a former student, who was found guilty of assaulting a Moscow policeman.

05:23 PM

Joe Biden is up

"I told President Putin that my agenda is not against Russia," says Mr Biden.

"It is for the American people. That is my responsibility as President."

05:16 PM

Analysis

There are positive signs for an improvement in relations between Russia and the United States.

Expectations were low, but those low expectations were met. The restoring of ambassadors back to their posts will allow officials to hail it a success.

Other than clearing that hurdle, nothing concrete has been announced, but Mr Putin had warm words for his US counterpart, noting his level of moral values.

There were some brilliant questions. Mr Putin does not subject himself to press conferences like this back home, so reporters had a free pass to hold him to account on foreign soil.

His replies were classic Putin - turning the issues back on America.

Human rights? Guantanamo

Demonstrations? George Floyd protests.

Stable foreign policy? US has withdrawn from a number of treaties.

Cyber attacks? They come from America.

It may be that it is the spectacle rather than the substance that these talks are remembered for. Joe Biden is flexing his muscles on the world stage, while Mr Putin is positioning himself as a leader who is willing to engage with his adversaries.

04:58 PM

Snap summary

Key takeaways from the Putin press conference:

• The US ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, will return to Moscow as soon as is practically possible.

• Russia's ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov will also return to Moscow.

• Prisoner swaps may be possible. "There might be compromise solutions there," said Mr Putin.

• Mr Biden was forgiven for calling Mr Putin a 'killer'

• Mr Biden did not offer Mr Putin an invitation to the White House.

• Amid a Russian military buildup in the Arctic, Mr Putin said the US and Russia can cooperate.

• Talks were "pragmatic" and it will be "a missed opportunity" if progress is not made, said Mr Putin.

• There are still clear divisions on Ukraine, Alexei Navalny and cyber attacks.

04:43 PM

Final question

From a Canadian reporter, who has two questions from her nine-year-old daughter.

Why is this relationship so complicated? and Why are young people not allowed to protest in Russia.

"It is great that your daughter is engaged in these issues," says Mr Putin.

"Adults and leaders of both countries meet so as to make this world safe and reliable and a prosperous household for all the inhabitants of this planet.

"Children should be confident in looking forward to the future," he concludes.

04:41 PM

No progress would be a missed opportunity

If there are some sparks of trust, do you have more trust in this administration than that of Donald Trump?

"We know what the domestic US climate is like. We know there are adversaries and supporters of Russia, and it is hard to know who will prevail.

"If positive steps don't happen, it will be a missed opportunity."

04:38 PM

Russian unpredictability

Steve Rosenberg from the BBC says Russian foreign policy is unpredictable.

"What about the US withdrawal from the Intermediate and short range missile treaty. What about the open skies treaty? Was that predictable?

"What is stable about helping a coup d'etat in Ukraine?

"You think we are unpredictable? I don't think so. I think we are behaving in an appropriate way for the threats against us."

04:34 PM

1-0 Russia?

A football question - what is the score between the US and Russia after the talks?

"There was no pressure on us," says Mr Putin.

"The meeting was substantive, specific and aimed at achieving results and one of those was about pushing back the frontiers of trust."

04:33 PM

Relations soured because of US

Difficult to say if relations will improve.

"Relations deteriorated because of the USA not because of us," says Mr Putin.

04:31 PM

Trust and happiness

Mr Putin is asked about whether he had established trust and happiness with Mr Biden.

The translator says that Mr Putin said: "There is no happiness in life, only a mirage of it on the horizon."

04:30 PM

Prisoner swap possible

Mr Putin has indicated that a prisoner swap between Russia and the U.S. is possible.

The Russian president said that Mr Biden raised the issue of Americans in Russian custody. He didn't name them but it is likely that this concerns Paul Whelan, a former US marine convicted of spying, and Trevor Reed, a former student, who was found guilty of assaulting a Moscow policeman.

"There might be compromise solutions there," he said, adding that the Russian foreign ministry and the U.S. State Department will "work in that direction."

04:29 PM

No White House invitation

Mr Putin is asked if he was invited to Washington.

"He did not invite me to the White House. I think we need to have the right conditions before we get to that stage."

04:28 PM

Putin gets candid

Another cracking question.

The Russian leader is asked what he saw when he looked into Mr Biden's eyes, if he could see his soul?

(Mr Biden once said that after he looked into Mr Putin's eyes he could see he had no soul.)

"I would say he is a very balanced, professional man who is very experienced," says Mr Putin.

"He talked a bit about his family and what his mother told him. They are important things. Maybe they are not relevant but it talks about the level of his moral values. It seems to me that we did speak the same language.

"It's not about looking into eyes and finding a soul, but essentially our talks were pragmatic."

04:22 PM

Putin does not want demonstrations in Russia

ABC has a follow up and Mr Putin is told that the list of political opponents that are in prison or dead is long. Why will he not hold free elections?

Mr Putin says that it is not clear who is murdering who. He says he sympathises with what is happening in the United States with mass demonstrations but he does not want that to happen in Russia.

04:19 PM

"What are you so afraid of?"

Zinger from ABC's reporter, who grills Mr Putin on Alexei Navalny and not holding free and fair elections

"What are you so afraid of?" she said.

Mr Putin appears frustrated and says that Navalny called for public mass demonstrations, urged minors to take part in demonstrations and they were being manipulated and used against law enforcement agencies.

He says that US has had problems after "the killing of the African American" (He means George Floyd).

"Fears, I don't want to talk about that. It's not relevant."

04:15 PM

Arctic cooperation

Putin has dismissed U.S. concerns about alleged 'militarisation' of Russia's vast Arctic region, saying that they "have no grounds," Nataliya Vasilyeva, in Geneva writes.

"We're not doing anything there we didn't do before: We're restoring the Soviet infrastructure that has been erased to the ground."

He said he was "deeply" convinced that the Arctic is one area where the U.S. and Russia should cooperate.

04:11 PM

Biden forgiven for 'killer' jibe

Asked about President Biden's "killer" remarks, Mr Putin said that the U.S. president called him after that interview came out and "provided an explanation that I found satisfactory."

"I saw for myself that Mr Biden is a very experienced person," the Russian leader said, adding that the two presidents spent two hours talking one-on-one: "You don't have such long conversations with every leader."

04:09 PM

Putin turns up the heat

Asked about the rule of law and human rights, Mr Putin gives an angry response.

Mr Putin says, through the translator, that in America you don't have time to open your mouth and you're shot dead. He takes a swipe at the number of murders in the United States every single day.

In another broadside, he blames American soldiers for shooting civilians in Iraq.

On human rights, he also takes aim at the US: "What about Guantanamo? It's still working and it doesn't come under any kind of law."

04:06 PM

Navalny

Vladimir Putin is holding a hard line on Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned Russian opposition leader.

He says Navalny ignored the law, knew he risked imprisonment and knew he would be detained.

04:01 PM

'No hostility' says Putin

Mr Putin says he and Mr Biden agreed that both countries shared responsibility for global security and agreed to launch talks on new arms control deal, Nataliya Vasilyeva writes.

"There was no hostility," he said when asked about the dynamics of his relationship with Mr Biden.

"Both sides have shown willingness to understand each other and seek ways to bring our stances closer."

When asked about possible cooperation in cyber security, Mr Putin said they agreed to launch consultations between the two countries on cyber security.

03:56 PM

Cyber attacks

"Both sides have to assume certain obligations" over cyber attacks, says the Russian leader.

Mr Putin says that he was told by a US delegate that the majority of cyberattacks actually take place in the United States.

03:50 PM

Vladimir Putin is up.

Immediately he says that the ambassadors will return to their posts.

When this will happen is now purely a technical matter.

A good start.

03:48 PM

How the day unfolded

As we wait for Vladimir Putin to hold his press conference, the numbers are in.

The first talks, between Mr Biden, Mr Putin, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov lasted 93 minutes.

They then had a 45-minute break.

Afterwards, a wider delegation spoke for 65 minutes.

In all, they only actually spoke for just over two-and-a-half hours.

The talks were "quite successful", a source in one of the delegations told Russia's Interfax news agency.

03:37 PM

Meeting over

The one-day summit between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin has finished after less than four hours.

This is shorter than was expected, and commentators have taken it to be a worrying sign that little may have been achieved.

Both leaders will give their own press conferences in the next hour and our Russia Correspondent Nataliya Vasilyeva will be in the room.

01:56 PM

First round of talks concludes

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the first round of talks involving both leaders and their foreign policy chiefs is over after an hour and 15 minutes, Nataliya Vasilyeva reports from Geneva.

They will now take a break before the second round of talks, where they will be joined by five more members of their delegations.

The summit is running on time at the moment, and the fact that the first discussions lasted more than an hour is being seen as a positive sign that agreements could be being thrashed out.

More delegates are expected to join at around 3:30pm GMT before the anticipated press conferences at 5pm GMT.

01:43 PM

Video shows moment of chaos before talks

This video goes a long way to explain why Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin looked slightly perplexed at the start of their meeting.

As explained, there was pushing and shoving between reporters and security guards.

One journalist said it was the worst she had experienced in 10 years of reporting on the White House and that people were nearly floored.

The drama picks up at about 2:20 in this video and then really kicks off from 3:30.

One woman shout's "stop stop" and there is another of "don't push me" at around 4 minutes.

All of this in front of Mr Biden and Mr Putin.

01:36 PM

Press conferences expected at 5pm GMT

Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden will give separate press conferences after today's talks.

Fiona Hill, the British-born former White House Russia adviser, says it is a "great idea" after the chaotic scenes in Helsinki with Donald Trump and Mr Putin in 2018.

Speaking on CNN Ms Hill revealed how she considered pulling a fire alarm to interrupt their conference.

Ms Hill said the Trump-Putin event had been "mortifying and humiliating."

At one point, Mr Putin gave Mr Trump a football, as Russia was hosting the World Cup that summer. Mr Trump tossed it to his wife, Melania, in the crowd.

She told CNN: "I first of all looked around to see if there was a fire alarm.

"But we were in a rather grand building attached to the presidential palace of the Finnish president, who had lent it to us for the occasion, and I couldn't see anything that resembled a fire alarm."

01:24 PM

Discussions underway

Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin are locked in discussions with just two translators and one government official each.

Gradually, more officials will join throughout the day and each leader will hold their own press conferences at around 6pm (5pm GMT).

The key talking points are:

• Cyber attacks: Mr Biden has blamed the shutting down of oil pipelines and beef factories on shadowy Russian hackers.

• Human Rights: Washington has criticised Moscow over its treatment and alleged poisoning of Alexei Navalny, and says he should be freed.

• Ukraine: The US was alarmed by a build-up of Russian forces in Crimea and near the Ukranian border earlier this year.

• Syria: Russia wants to shut down the last humanitarian crossing into Syria from Turkey next month but Mr Biden will try to convince Mr Putin to keep it open.

• Arms control: Both sides have been talking about nuclear weapons as an area where they can cooperate and maintain "strategic stability".

• Diplomatic relations: The status of foreign missions is one area where both sides believe there may be scope for progress. Russia recalled Anatoly Antonov, its ambassador to Washington, in March after Mr Biden said he believed Putin was a "killer," while John Sullivan, the US ambassador to Moscow, returned to Washington for consultations in April. An agreement for both diplomats to return to their posts would send a signal that some progress had been made.

12:55 PM

Who is hosting whom?

Russian state news agency RIA has an interesting take on the protocol inside the villa.

As Mr Putin arrived at Villa La Grange before his counterpart, he gets to sit on the right during the talks, it says.

"In protocol language, this means the host of the summit is Russia."

12:40 PM

'Shoving match' between journalists outside summit

The Pool report has come through, and it paints an ugly picture of the scenes outside the room where Mr Biden and Mr Putin were meeting.

"The shoving match began at a side entrance immediately as the two presidents entered the villa from the front door," it says.

"Journalists from both countries rushed to enter the building but were stopped by US and Russian security and government officials.

"The pool was repeatedly told to line up separately and in single file but neither side did. Instead, the journalists pushed and shoved trying to enter the building.

"There was screaming and yelling as a Swiss official kept asking everyone to be quiet. Pooler was told by the US and Russia officials several times that they would not be allowed inside unless everyone was orderly. That never happened.

"Finally at 1:39 pm, nine of the 13-member US pool got into the room."

12:13 PM

What was said

"I hope our meeting will be productive," Mr Putin said, thanking the US leader for "this initiative to meet today."

Mr Biden said: "It is always better to meet face to face".

Mr Putin said he was thankful for the gathering as he knew the US president "had a long trip and lots of work."

But the Russian president emphasised that there are "lots of questions accumulated in Russia-US relations that require discussion on the highest level."

The words were warm, even if the atmosphere was a little frosty.

11:57 AM

Drama in Geneva

CNN is reporting that there was a bit of argy-bargy between the US and Russian press pack ahead of the meeting.

Several US reporters could not get access to the room in which the two leaders are meeting.

There was "pushing, shoving and yelling" according to their correspondent on the ground.

Aides were trying to sort out who could and couldn't get in, but it all descended into chaos and the entire press pack was ushered out.

This may explain why Mr Biden and Mr Putin were so stony faced.

11:47 AM

Inside the summit

There has been an excruciatingly awkward photo opportunity inside Villa La Grange.

Vladimir Putin has been joined by his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov while Mr Biden's Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has got his notebook out and is scribbling away furiously.

There were a few words exchanged, but the noisy scrum of photographers and camera crew made it difficult to pick anything up.

The cameras did however capture the lengthy silence afterwards.

11:36 AM

First pictures

The first pictures have started to drop - and show Mr Biden and Mr Putin shaking hands before entering Villa La Grange.

11:26 AM

Joe Biden arrives

The US Presidential motorcade has wound its way through the streets of Geneva and arrived at Villa La Grange.

He set off at 1:09pm and arrived around 10 minutes later.

Now, Swiss President Guy Parmelin is welcoming them to the country and what he calls "the city of peace."

He says it is an honour to have both leaders here, speaking French.

The words are then translated into Russian and English by an interpreter.

Both Mr Biden and Mr Putin are in dark suits. The US leader has a light blue tie, while Mr Putin's is slightly darker.

The pair shook hands and then headed into the villa at 1:26pm local time.

11:19 AM

Not their first meeting

Vladimir Putin met with George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump during their presidencies, but also met Joe Biden in 2011 when he was vice President.

As a senator, Mr Biden first travelled to the Soviet Union in 1979 and has kept a keen eye on Russia ever since.

Recently, relations have soured, after an interview in which a bullish Mr Biden called Mr Putin a killer with no soul.

Mr Putin dismissed it as bravado and said "it takes one to know one."

Both the US ambassador to Moscow and the Russian ambassador to Washington have pulled out and relations are at their lowest point in years.

That is expected to be one area in which there will be movement after this summit.

11:11 AM

Putin arrives on time

Vladimir Putin has not employed one of his favourite tricks and kept the US President waiting.

The US side wanted Mr Putin to arrive first so that Mr Biden wouldn't be left twiddling his thumbs, as happened to Donald Trump in Helsinki.

Previously, world leaders including Angela Merkel, Shinzo Abe and Barack Obama have all been kept waiting for more than an hour.

When he met Queen Elizabeth II in 2003, the delay was just 14 minutes.

Mr Putin has shaken hands with Swiss President Guy Parmelin and headed into Villa La Grange.

11:05 AM

Geneva on lockdown

Swathes of Geneva are under lockdown on Wednesday as Switzerland's second-largest city was getting ready to host Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin for a much-anticipated summit meeting, writes our Russia correspondent Nataliya Vasilyeva.

Locals are being advised to stay at home to avoid facing countless road closures, roadblocks and security officials.

The entire shore of Lake Geneva within city boundaries has been blocked for visitors, and security officials closed off bridges and roads leading to Parc la Grange, a leafy park on the lake's shore, popular with joggers and dog-walkers.

Most of the public transport routes crossing from the city's west to the city's east on the southern shore of the lake have been scrapped, and military vehicles were spotted near Parc la Grange.

Rare pedestrians on Wednesday morning were gawking from behind the security lines to the vast areas closed off for anyone other than the Russian and the U.S. delegations.

Anyone with credentials allowing them to get to Villa la Grange, the summit venue in the park, had to go through at least five security checks on the way there.

10:58 AM

Vladimir Putin has landed

The plane carrying Russian President Vladimir Putin has touched down in Geneva and he is en route to the summit.

In the build up to the summit, held on neural ground, as Donald Trump did with Mr Putin in Finland in 2018, Mr Biden said: “He’s bright. He’s tough. And I have found that he is a … as they say, when you used to play ball, ‘a worthy adversary.’”

Mr Biden arrived in Geneva last night, and is expected to arrive at the summit after Mr Putin.

10:51 AM

What is on the agenda?

Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin are meeting at the luxurious Villa La Grange, a stately 18th century villa overlooking Lake Geneva.

The US president has said he will raise a number of contentious issues, including cyber attacks, election interference, nuclear arms and human rights.

The two leaders will begin the talks with just their top diplomats by their sides, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, along with two translators.

An expanded meeting with six officials on each side will follow, according to a senior White House official.

The official said the summit was expected to last around four or five hours, but insisted it would be business-focused with "no breaking of bread" between the two leaders.

Mr Biden has also ruled out a joint press conference with Mr Putin. Aides say he will deliver remarks after the Russian leader instead.