NEW YORK, June 17. /TASS/. The list of critically important US infrastructure sectors that should not be the subject of cyberattacks, given to Russian President Vladimir Putin by his US counterpart Joe Biden during the Geneva summit, has served as a warning by Washington that in the future, it will consider Moscow responsible for such attacks, Professor of Political Science at Barnard College Kimberly Marten told TASS on Monday.
"President Biden's press conference afterward was particularly interesting. He told reporters that he shared with Putin a list of key US infrastructure that should be off-limits to cyberattacks — effectively a signal that the US expects Putin to control cybercrime emanating from Russia, and will hold Putin responsible if it happens again. Biden added that he asked Putin, 'How would you feel if ransomware took the pipelines from your oil fields?' and that Putin agreed that this would matter to him — another set of signals communicated between the two leaders," she stated.
The analyst pointed out that no one set big goals for the summit. "Its primary purpose was for the two leaders to speak directly to each other, in the absence of cameras, and to lay the groundwork for future negotiations between experts on issues of mutual interest. It seems to have achieved those rather limited purposes," she said. "Both presidents said the results were constructive and positive. Strategic arms control and stability talks are resuming, and both ambassadors are returning to their posts. President Biden said it was clear that President Putin does not want a new cold war with the United States. But of course, we will have to wait to see what the results may actually be in practice."
As for the situation in Ukraine in Belarus, there was no significant progress reached in that sphere, but no one expected that there would be, Marten added.
The Russia-US summit, initiated by Washington, took place in the Swiss city of Geneva on Wednesday. Putin and Biden discussed the state and the prospects of further development of bilateral relations, the issues of strategic security, as well as international matters, including cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 and regulation of regional conflicts.