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Geneva summit to strengthen positions of Russia, US in dialogue with China — expert

The meeting proved successful as the almost completely destroyed communication channels between Washington and Moscow were restored, Sasakawa Peace Foundation Senior Fellow Tsuneo Watanabe also noted

TOKYO, June 18. /TASS/. The meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Joe Biden of the United States has restored communication channels between the world’s two major nuclear powers and created a situation, where China will have to be more active in dialogue with both Moscow and Washington, Sasakawa Peace Foundation Senior Fellow Tsuneo Watanabe told TASS on Friday, commenting on the main results of the Russia-US summit.

"I think that US President Joe Biden achieved the goals he had set before the Geneva summit. His tactics contrast with former President Donald Trump’s style, who was fond of theatrical effects, and used to make the media jump up in surprise, achieving short-term goals but eroding the United States’ position in strategic terms. Biden’s style is based on an extremely gradual approach, the development and implementation of a certain series of activities. In this regard, the Geneva meeting proved successful for Washington and Moscow as the almost completely destroyed communication channels between the US and Russia were restored at the level of ambassadors, the foreign policy agencies, presidential aides and the heads of state themselves," the expert pointed out.

"It is very important, given that the US and Russia are the strongest nuclear powers, the only ones capable of destroying the planet," he noted, adding: "This is why a system of dialogue between them is important for the entire world".

"At the same time, the main target of Biden’s diplomatic activities is China. The Geneva meeting strengthened US positions regarding Beijing and became a tool for putting pressure on China. Russia can also benefit from this though it’s interested in good relations with China and certainly won’t betray it. However, the establishment of communication channels between Moscow and Washington provides Russia with an additional lever for its China policy. All this will improve the balance of power in the world, including East Asia," the expert said.

Watanabe told TASS earlier that Japan would be interested in engaging China in Russian-US talks on nuclear arms reduction.

The Russia-US summit, initiated by Washington, took place in the Swiss city of Geneva on Wednesday.