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Biden-Putin Summit Underway in Geneva; ; President Biden and President Putin Expected to Discuss Cyber-Hacking, Election Interference, and Russian Military Aggression toward Ukraine During Summit Meeting. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired June 16, 2021 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:00]

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: And then of course after that there will be separated press conferences. They are not going to be holding a joint press conference. It's going to be as of right now President Putin is expected to hold a press conference first, followed by President Biden.

A little bit of an awkward photo spray at the top there between all of the Russian leaders, the Russian leader and U.S. president. There was a bit of jostling between the U.S. press and the Russian press trying to get into that room. The tensions seemed to be a bit high in that room. None of the officials there were smiling. Russian President Vladimir Putin was kind of slumped in his chair.

So it raises the question of whether that's go to set the tone for that first meeting between the U.S. president and Russian President Putin alongside their aides there, Blinken and Lavrov. But what we're expecting is not much, frankly, from this summit. We will be anticipating potentially updates throughout the day on how this is going on. But right now, of course, there will not be a joint press conference between the U.S. president and Putin at the end of the day.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Separate news conference indeed. Natasha, thank you very much.

Multiple issues are involved in this meeting today between these two presidents. Joining us now to explain what some of those issues are, national security correspondent Kylie Atwood. Tell us what we anticipate, Kylie.

KYLE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I want to go through a number of issues we expect the two leaders to discuss. Let's start with cyber-hacking. This is perhaps the most high-stakes, challenging, and, quite frankly, urgent issue between the two countries right now. Given what we have seen by Russian hackers, Russian-based criminal groups, cyberattacks, ransomware attacks against U.S. federal agencies, U.S. companies, a gas pipeline along the east coast here in the U.S., this is something we know President Biden is going to discuss. It's something that President Putin has already denied any involvement in. That makes it challenging for, quite frankly, any forward movement on this. The second thing that I want to move to after cyber-hacking, election

interference. This has been central to U.S./Russia relations, the challenges between the two countries for the recent years. They meddled in the 2016 and 2020 elections. President Biden has been very clear, there will be consequences for that. But again, this is something that Russia denies involvement in. So another challenging topic on the table.

Ukraine, we have seen the Russian military build-up along border with Ukraine in recent weeks and months. This is something that President Biden has already broached with President Putin. He has said that he wants him to deescalate the situation. Russia views this as their territory. It's their region. So this is not something we really expect that Putin is going to want to delve into very deeply, make any commitments on.

Alexei Navalny, that's the Russian opposition leader who is now jailed in Russia. He is an outspoken Putin critic. President Biden has made clear that if Navalny dies in prison, that would be a tragedy. He said that just a few days ago. That's a warning to the Russians, but, of course, President Putin and Russia, they view this as an internal matter. They don't think this is something that should come up in the bilateral relations between the two countries. The White House has said that this will be broached during this meeting today.

And then, of course, human rights abuses writ large. There has been a crackdown on freedom of expression in Russia in recent years, a number of human rights abuses. The White House has said that will come up, too.

U.S.-American detainees in Russia. There are two former U.S. marines that are detained in Russia right now. This has been a matter that U.S. officials, Secretary Blinken, President Biden have brought up with the Russians. Perhaps the two leaders today can discuss something like a prisoner swap, a prisoner exchange, or they can essentially grease the wheels for future diplomatic talks to release these two Americans. I can tell you, their families are watching this extremely closely.

And then I want to move on to the expulsion of U.S. diplomats. The U.S. ambassador in Moscow hasn't been there for months. The Russian ambassador here in Washington was recalled almost three months ago. Diplomatic relations between the two countries are at an all-time low. Can the president agree to send those ambassadors back? Can they agree to send other U.S. diplomats back to these embassies? We have seen a number of cuts in the number of diplomats who are at both embassies, both consulates over the years. That's something to watch for potential narrow deliverables on, even though the White House has been clear they're not looking for deliverables here.

The last thing I want to move to is they are both prepared to talk about nuclear stability and arms control, strategic stability, as the White House has said.

[08:05:08] Russia has said they want to discuss that, too. So this may be an area where both sides were prepared and they could discuss some future movement. But we really aren't expecting them to make any large announcements. The big question here is, what do both of these leaders want to get out of today? That's what we're all waiting to see. Wolf?

BLITZER: And we will find out in a few hours, indeed. Kylie, thank you very much.

I want to bring in our Moscow correspondent Matthew Chance. He's with us here in Geneva as well, watching all of this. So Matthew, what is the Kremlin saying about this historic, high-stakes meeting?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN MOSCOW CORRESPONDENT: They're ready for it, and they say that it's going to be tough, and they say they hope that they're going to discuss strategic stability. There's a range of common areas, if you like, that they feel that there can be agreement on. Climate change, arms control, regional conflicts like in Syria and Libya and things like that.

And I think that's what the Kremlin wants to emphasize. I think the other thing the Kremlin want to achieve out of this to put the handbrake on the train that's running away in terms of the U.S./Russian relationship. There's been so many sanctions imposed on the country that's had a significant impact on the country's economy and the parliamentary elections in Russia. The Kremlin wants to make sure those sanctions aren't accelerated or made worse.

But I think it's extraordinary seeing what we all witnessed here within the last hour or so with President Biden standing right next to President Putin of Russia with the Swiss president in the middle of them. And they shook hands in that way. In some ways that's exactly what Vladimir Putin wanted, the symbolic impact of that at home for the Kremlin leader domestically and around the world to people watching this on their television sets, of course, and wherever else. It's enormous because it shows Vladimir Putin at the top table of international diplomacy. It puts him on par with the U.S. president. It is respectful to him. Remember, this is not just some meeting on the sidelines of some other venue. This is a full-on presidential summit. And so it gives Vladimir Putin an enormous amount of status.

He's not going to want to blow it. As your last guest, Kylie, was saying a moment ago, on the big outstanding issues of disagreement between the two countries, between two presidents, whether that's cyberwarfare, whether it's the military threat against Ukraine and other neighbors, whether it's about the crackdown inside Russia, Vladimir Putin is going to act up. He's not going to give an inch, I expect, on any of those issues. So this is going to be a very tense meeting. I think we got a hint of that tension in that initial encounter that we witnessed here on the -- at the doorway of Villa La Grange here on the banks of Lake Geneva, Wolf.

BLITZER: Matthew, we just got a little better translation -- transcript of what exactly President Putin said during this awkward photo opportunity. It was hard to hear, but we're now told that President Putin thanked President Biden for, quote, the initiative to meet as they sat down, quote, "I know you've been on a long journey and have a lot of work," Putin said. And then I'm continuing a quote from Putin. "Still, the U.S. and Russia and U.S. relations have a lot of issues accumulated that require the highest level meeting, and I hope that our meeting will be productive." That's what we now know what Putin said during that photo opportunity at the start of this meeting. He hopes the meeting will be productive. What else are you hearing?

CHANCE: You're right, productive, but on what issues? When it comes to those core issues, those core issues of disagreement, I doubt whether there's going to be any productivity at all. But there are more issues of surface tension, if you like, that probably could be addressed. We've talked about the return of each other's ambassadors to each other's countries, the ambassadors are with the various -- their respective delegations at the moment. But they're not in each other's capitals. That could change. There could be a restoration of greater diplomatic ties because those ties have been eroded through tit-for-tat expulsions over varies issues over the past several months in particular.

And then there's that other issue, which is maybe not top of the agenda but it's a very emotional issue on the agenda. It's going to be raised by both sides, and that's that issue of the potential of a prisoner swap. There are Americans in Russian jails. The families of those Americans have been making emotional appeals to both presidents to try and find a way to bring them back home.

And of course, if that's going to happen, the Russians have got Russian citizens in American jails. Some of them pretty high-level criminals who they are going to want back in return. And so there's always been a problem with that when it comes to U.S. officials saying the people that the Russians want back are in a different category to the Americans that are being held by Russia.

[08:10:01]

But ultimately, it's a decision for the presidents to make. Will that be a process that will at least be started at this summit to try and get that level of tension, that point of tension cleared away at least?

BLITZER: We shall see fairly soon. Matthew, thank you very much.

For more on what we can expect from today's summit, what's at stake for the United States and Russia and, indeed, for the world, I want to bring in CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger of "The New York Times" and our chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward. She's still here with me as well.

So first of all, what are your thoughts right now, David, as we watch all of this, this long meeting, four or five hours, maybe more, just beginning?

DAVID E. SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Wolf, I think the big overview of this meeting is that both of these countries have been spinning into something that isn't quite the cold war, but it is approaching. And it's obviously taking place in a lot of different places. We've discussed some of them. Obviously, Ukraine. Obviously, in cyberspace.

But the big problem for both these leaders right now is that we really feel like we're on a hinge point, and that this could get a whole lot worse. I think the biggest accomplishment they could have would be basically if they stopped this downward spiral.

The other question comes, what can you build up? And that's a harder issue. It's harder because the president of Russia has denied that the Russians are responsible for either the big hacks of the United States, like SolarWinds or that they're harboring these ransomware criminals. He has basically said the United States should get out of its business and out of its backyard when it comes to issues like human rights and like Ukraine. So I think they'll be searching for little things they can do, like Iran, and working together there. But I don't have a whole lot of hope that you're going to get much more than working groups on the bigger issues.

BLITZER: Because on some of these issues, like the Iran nuclear deal that President Biden wants to restore from the Obama administration, which former President Trump ripped up, there is generally, David, some strong agreement between Russia and the U.S., the new administration in the U.S. Is that right?

SANGER: That's absolutely right, Wolf. On Iran, the Russians were part of the original agreement in 2015. They haven't played a big role in the negotiations that have gone on in recent months, but basically, the first step the administration is trying to take is to just get back to the old agreement. And the Russians have no problem with that. Whether they will have a problem when the Biden administration tries to go the next step, goes beyond what it is that the Obama administration, Obama-Biden administration was able to put together, that may be where the Russians and the U.S. divide. But we're not there yet.

BLITZER: Clarissa, when you look at what's going on right now, do you think they start this meeting with some of the areas where there might be some cooperation, might be some agreement, or do they get right to the tough issues?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, unfortunately, we don't know that because we have no access. Oh, to be a fly on the wall. But we don't have a good window into that. What I've heard from Kremlin-aligned thinkers is that they are probably going to try to get the hard stuff out of the way first, right. Draw their lines on the sand, make clear what the red lines are. You'll hear President Biden talking forcefully about the issue of Alexei Navalny, about the issue of human rights, about Russia's support of Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus, about Russian aggression in Ukraine.

And similarly, you'll hear Putin draw his red lines about U.S. endorsing Ukraine to join NATO at some point, having U.S. military installations in Ukraine.

And then the hope is, at least, that they can move on to those areas of potential cooperation which you just heard David elucidate. A lot of speculation about Iran, also about Syria, because of course Russia has said that it will veto having that aid crossing continue to be allowed to be open in the United Nations Security Council next month. So that's something they could also potentially discuss. Climate change is another one that's been bandied around.

But I think the key here that we're hearing from both sides, the word that we hear over and over again is predictability, trying to engineer a situation, not where the relationship becomes rosy or friendly, but whereby it becomes a little bit more predictable because, for both leaders, there's a sense that it no longer behooves them to have this rapidly deteriorating situation.

BLITZER: That's a good point, because the relationship right now going into this meeting is bad, about as bad as it's been since the end of the Cold War.

[08:15:04]

All right. Clarissa and David, stand by.

Much more coming up on this historic summit here in Switzerland, including how Biden have spent the past few weeks sniping at each other.

This is CNN's special live coverage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Welcome back to CNN's special live coverage of the historic summit between President Biden and Vladimir Putin.

The meeting is under way. That video you're seeing was from just a few minutes ago, just as it was kicking off.

So, the run up to this moment that you're seeing there has been remarkable. Sort of pregame that lasted several weeks that sometimes was pointed and occasionally heated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To let him know what I want him to know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Earlier this week at the NATO summit, President Biden made clear his agenda for the meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I'm going to make clear to President Putin that there are areas where we can cooperate, if he chooses, and if he chooses not to cooperate, and acts in a way that he has in the past, relative to cybersecurity and some other activities, then we will respond. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:20:06]

BERMAN: And this comes on the heels of President Biden agreeing that Putin is a killer back in March.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: So you know Vladimir Putin. You think he's a killer?

BIDEN: Uh-huh, I do.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So what price must he pay?

BIDEN: The price he's going to pay, well, you'll see shortly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: This was Putin's response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR SIMMONS, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Mr. President, are you a killer?

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Over my tenure, I've gotten used to attacks from all kinds of angles and from all kinds of areas, under all kinds of pretexts and reasons. There are different caliber and fierceness, and none of it surprises me. As far as harsh rhetoric, I think that this is an expression of overall U.S. culture.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So these two leaders have a long history with one another. Biden and Putin met back in 2011 when Biden was vice president. During that meeting, in a private moment, Biden says he told Putin that he has no soul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I wasn't being a wise guy. I was alone with him in his office. That's how it came about. It was when President Bush said I've looked in his eyes and saw a soul. I said, I look in your eyes and I don't think you have a soul.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So Biden says Putin responded, we understand one another.

Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us now is Matthew Rojansky. He is director of the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center. He is a Russian expert.

You were quite a Russian expert, just to put a finer point on it for our viewers. You've been in close contact with the administration leading up to this summit which is getting so much attention, as it should. This is very much a departure from what we saw under the Trump administration.

What are you expecting?

MATTHEW ROJANSKY, DIRECTOR, WOODROW WILSON CENTER'S KENNAN INSTITUTE: Well, you know, number one, Brianna, this is a meeting that has to happen. I think President Biden has set appropriately low expectations in terms of not ending this meeting with a big handshake and a signing ceremony and a joint press conference. So, in that sense it's clearly going to be different than summits we've seen in the past. You know, no resets like in the first term of Obama but at the same time, you know, no bromance. No friendship as president Trump tried to achieve.

This will be very much about stabilizing and bringing more predictability to the relationship. The administration has used the term guardrails on escalatory behavior. This is a relationship that frankly is dangerous to both sides. President Biden has talked about the risks from Russian cyber interference but there's also the risk of cyber criminal activity. We've seen that with the Colonial Pipeline hack, with the JBS meat processing hack.

And that might actually be an area of common ground, where the two sides can agree, look, there are destabilizing behaviors here that are really not serving either side's interest right now. Let's bring them under control.

And the best example of that is the extension of the new START agreement with president Biden did on day six of his administration -- because he liked Vladimir Putin? No, but because he had to do it to protect the American people.

So, I think that's the mentality going into this summit, and we're likely to see continuations of those types of dialogue.

KEILAR: You know, this is a meeting between two countries. But personalities always play a role here. Different with Obama. Very different with Trump. Different with Biden, too.

And I wonder, especially as we were talking in the break about how much history governs this approach for Vladimir Putin, if Joe Biden having spent decades in the Senate, having such immense foreign relations experience and maybe a greater appreciation for history. Certainly we can say that the Trump administration, does not inform his approach to that?

ROJANSKY: I think what you have with these two men, very different certainly from Obama and very different from Trump is, you know, Putin certainly the veteran president, right? He's literally been doing this job for two decades, either as president or prime minister. His Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sitting next to him has been there for a decade and a half. Very, very experienced. But by the same token, they look at Joe Biden. Putin has called him a

career man. It's a reflection of the fact that he actually made his first trip to the Soviet Union as a member of the foreign relations committee with Brezhnev was the leader, nearly half a century ago.

So, there's a recognition on both sides you're dealing with experience. There's this notion there's no illusions that these guys are going to be friends. None of this sort of pretend, hail-fellow- well-met, slapping each other on the back. Think back to Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin in the '90s, best buddies, laughing, joyful, you know, as if it's a friendship thing and Trump seeking that same kind of friendship, not obviously getting it.

Here, it's at best, mutual respect and mutual deterrence. And I think coming out of this summit again, that's going to be the watch word.

KEILAR: Characteristic dourness on the part of Vladimir Putin and yet, I wonder, is he actually happy to be in this forum?

ROJANSKY: I would put it this way. To the extent that the U.S. is looking to bring a little bit more stability to this relationship, it is possible that Putin's unpredictable, somewhat erratic behavior, which has been designed in a sense to provoke the United States, designed to force the United States to take Russia seriously when we might otherwise focus on China, climate change, COVID, so many other huge challenges, our domestic challenges.

[08:25:03]

Having had this meeting, having used this meeting as a chance to launch a process that will come afterwards, what we're calling a strategic stability dialogue, what's going to be the next nuclear arms control treaty, how do we talk about cyber, how do we talk about regional security challenges, et cetera -- maybe if Russia has a stake in that dialogue going forward, some of the unpredictable, provocative, aggressive behavior can be dialed back. Because in a sense Putin is getting engagement that he's looking for.

KEILAR: That's a very interesting point that you make.

Matthew, thank you so much for being with us.

ROJANSKY: My pleasure.

KEILAR: Matthew Rojansky, we appreciate it.

Both sides hoping to find common ground with this summit today in Geneva. Will that include oil as prices spike?

BERMAN: And the lead doctor at the National Institutes of Health tells us why the new delta variant of coronavirus could pose a threat.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to our special coverage. The backdrop of this historic summit between the U.S. and Russia, a

recovering global economy. As the world reopens, oil prices have doubled over the past year. And it doesn't get top billing but energy policy affects.

[08:30:00]