RIO DE JANEIRO, June 16./TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has a greater chance of success at the June 16 summit meeting with US President Joe Biden in Geneva, O Globo newspaper’s international news columnist Guga Chacra opines in his article.

"No matter how the American president threatens with harsh rhetoric, the Russian leader has already emerged as the winner — if only because of the very fact of the meeting being held. In Washington he is seen as an equal, while Russia is perceived as a geopolitical power," he said. "Meanwhile, it will be unlikely for the new president of the US to achieve significant positive results," Chacra believes.

He does not believe that Biden should expect concessions from Putin on the issues of Ukraine, Syria, and Belarus, and "all the more on the Russian domestic issues". He also believes that the White House's efforts to change Moscow's position on cyber activities against the US and other countries have little prospect of success.

"Some will argue with me, saying that it will be already good if Biden gives signals to Putin directly. But this could have been done without a face-to-face meeting," Chacra said, noting that the new vector of policy towards Russia has not been clearly specified as of yet. However, the columnist acknowledges that Moscow and Washington can bring their positions closer on many topics - the battle against the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, the return of the US to the nuclear deal with Iran and joint work on the North Korean issue. "But all these negotiations could have been carried out through the foreign ministries," without opening the floor to Putin, he believes.

He does not rule out that Biden’s wish to meet with Putin was prompted by his ego, and the need to demonstrate his strength to American voters. According to Chacra, there are chances that the meeting will come as "a failure in all respects" for President Biden. "We must not forget that Putin is one of the most skillful international leaders," the observer stressed.