In this June 16, 2021, file photo President Joe Biden meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland. (Photo | AP)
In this June 16, 2021, file photo President Joe Biden meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland. (Photo | AP)

US will see through Russian actions not through words or commitments: Sullivan after Biden-Putin meet

President Biden, the US National Security Advisor asserted, is not taking anything for granted out of his meeting with his Russian counterpart.

WASHINGTON: Fresh from the US-Russia bilateral summit in Geneva, a top Biden Administration official said on Sunday that over the next 12 months the United States will see the results through the Russian actions and not through just words or commitments.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made the remarks during an interview to CNN days after President Joe Biden held a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Geneva.

"The proof of the pudding will be in the eating, which is to say that, over the next six to 12 months, we will see through actions, not through words or commitments or body language, whether, in fact, we are on a better track with US-Russia policy and the US-Russia relationship," Sullivan said.

President Biden, he asserted, is not taking anything for granted out of his meeting with his Russian counterpart.

"In fact, when he was asked whether he was confident, he said, that's not the right word. Confident is not the right word. Optimistic isn't the right word. The right word is verification, being able to test and see whether, in fact, the relationship does get on to a more stable and predictable basis," Sullivan said.

In another interview to ABC News, the national security advisor said that privately in the room, President Biden communicated to President Putin that there would be costs and consequences if harmful activities against the US continued.

Publicly, in his press conference, he not only spoke out about that quite directly, mincing no words, but he also spoke about American values, something the last president never talked about, Sullivan said.

"He spoke about Alexey Navalny. He spoke about radio free Europe. He spoke about standing up for our democratic allies and partners. And one week before the summit, one week, he sent USD 150 million security assistance to Ukraine. He pulled no punches. He did nothing but stand up for American interests and values in an emphatic and sound way," he said.

Biden, he asserted, entered and exited this summit in Geneva as the leader of the free world, a mantle that his predecessor Donald Trump had given away but was reclaimed by President Biden on behalf of this country.

"Flanked by allies, supported by democratic partners, and then willing to push back hard on Vladimir Putin, which he did in the meeting, while also saying that there are areas where the United States and Russia must work together for the benefit of our two people," he said.

"That is practical. That is clear eyed. That is principled. That is Joe Biden's foreign policy," he added.

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