NEW YORK, May 26. /TASS/. The upcoming Geneva meeting between the Russian and US presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, on June 16 won’t lead to any breakthroughs or concessions by either side, but could become a signal for the authorities in both countries that a serious dialogue between them is possible even in current conditions, Professor and Chair at the Department of Political Science of Barnard College, Columbia University, Kimberly Marten, told TASS.

"Even at a time of bitter distrust and deep conflict, the US and Russia need to work with each other in areas where their interests converge. Two shared interests stand out: first, the preservation of strategic stability and the search for new arms control at a time when weapons technology is evolving very rapidly; and second, the need to limit global warming and mitigate the dangers of climate change," Marten said.

Against this background, Marten does not expect the upcoming summit to "lead to any breakthroughs or concessions by either side." "Instead I hope it serves as a signal by both governments of their willingness to engage in serious communication on core issues."

On Tuesday, both the Kremlin and the White House said that the Putin-Biden summit would take place in Geneva on June 16. According to the Kremlin press service, the presidents will discuss the current state of and prospects for further development of Russian-US relations, problems of strategic stability, as well as current issues of the international agenda, including cooperation in combating the coronavirus pandemic and settlement of regional conflicts. It will be the first personal meeting between the two leaders since the 46th US president entered the Oval Office. It will also be Putin’s first foreign visit since January 2020, when he visited Israel and Palestine.