The High Cost of Biden's Meeting with Putin
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https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-high-cost-of-bidens-meeting-with-putin
Biden’s main negotiating tool appears to have been the carrot of bringing Putin back to the world stage. The summit gave Putin what he craves: being treated as an important voice in world affairs, getting a photo op with Biden, holding a press conference before Biden if not with him, being called a “worthy adversary” by the American President. Biden warned Putin that this access and respect were conditional: if the jailed opposition politician Alexey Navalny were to die in prison, or if Russia waged cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in the U.S., Putin would find himself even more marginalized than he was before the summit. If there is a way to talk to Putin without harboring illusions—without pretending that he is a good-faith negotiator—this is probably it. But it comes at a cost.
Negotiations necessarily begin with establishing the interlocutors’ respective positions, making them instantly normal. Consider Navalny. Biden didn’t demand his immediate release; he demanded only that he not be killed in prison. Consider Ukraine: Biden didn’t demand that Russia withdraw from the parts of the country it has occupied, but only asked that Russia work within the framework of the Minsk agreement, a series of cease-fire agreements that would not necessarily return the occupied territories to Ukraine. Georgia, another country where Russia has occupied about a fifth of the territory, didn’t figure in either President’s account of their conversation. The very act of drawing red lines legitimizes the status quo.
Another perk of the summit for Putin is the amount of Western media attention to his person and his words. The most shameful example was a sit-down interview with the NBC correspondent Keir Simmons. The journalist asked him about being called a killer; Putin smirked, deflected, and lied. Simmons moved on to his next prepared question. It was entertaining, and Putin got the last word on a lot of people who are either dead or in jail.
The world is probably a slightly safer place following the summit. The Presidents agreed to return ambassadors to their respective postings. It’s likely that Alexey Navalny is a little safer now, too. But President Biden and this country paid a high moral price for it.
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