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Putin-Biden meeting in Geneva

Several Geneva hotels fully booked 16 days prior to scheduled Putin-Biden summit

Even though the specific location of the summit is yet to be revealed, the Swiss media outlets are pointing to InterContinental as the most likely hotel to host Russian President and his US counterpart

GENEVA, May 31. /TASS/. At least three five-star hotels in Geneva are completely booked for June 15-16 as Switzerland’s second most populous city will be hosting the Russian-US presidential summit on June 16, the InterContinental, the President Wilson and Beau-Rivage luxury hotels told TASS, while it is still possible to book rooms in other hotels of the similar caliber.

These three hotels have been chosen to host high-level international meetings on a number of occasions.

Even though the specific location of the summit is yet to be revealed, the Swiss media outlets are pointing to InterContinental as the most likely hotel to host Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden. The press particularly stresses that this hotel is conveniently located close to the Palace of Nations, home of the UN’s European headquarters, and highlights that it has long history of welcoming various forums and key negotiations, including the 1985 summit between then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and late US President Ronald Reagan.

That said, hotel administration representatives in Geneva and Swiss diplomats and have been tight-lipped about any particular location, underlining that it is up to the Russian and US parties to choose a place.

On May 27, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on reports of a possible site for the Putin-Biden summit in Geneva. He noted, "it can be held in any hotel or any building" and added, "that there have been no agreements with the US side about it."

The Russian and American presidents are expected to hold their first face-to-face meeting in Geneva on June 16. It will be the first top-level meeting between Moscow and Washington, since Putin met with US President Donald Trump in Helsinki in July 2018. The Kremlin said that the two leaders are planning to "discuss the state and prospects of further developing Russian-US relations, strategic stability as well as current issues on the international agenda, including cooperation in fighting the coronavirus pandemic and regulating regional conflicts".

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