No joint press conference for Putin and Biden: Joe REFUSES to stand next to Russian president for questions from the media after the pair meet for ‘candid’ talks next week, with the White House wary the meeting will throw up HUGE differences
- President Joe Biden will hold a solo press conference after his meeting with Vladimir Putin next week
- Two leaders meet in Geneva on Wednesday
- ‘We expect this meeting to be candid and straightforward and a solo press conference is the appropriate format,’ White House official said
President Joe Biden will hold a solo press conference after his meeting with Vladimir Putin next week, denying the Russian president the opportunity to stand by him and answer questions from the press.
A joint press conference is traditional when two world leaders meet and President Donald Trump held one with Putin when the two men met in Helsinki in July 2018.
Biden, however, won’t give Putin the power of his presidential bully pulpit and will be able to put his own spin on their meeting without the Russian president able to contradict him.
President Joe Biden will hold a solo press conference after his meeting with Vladimir Putin next week
The two leaders meet in Geneva on Wednesday.
‘We expect this meeting to be candid and straightforward and a solo press conference is the appropriate format to clearly communicate with the free press the topics that were raised in the meeting—both in terms of areas where we may agree and in areas where we have significant concerns,’ a White House official said on Saturday.
The format of the meeting is still being finalized but, according to the official, the plan is ‘for both a working session and a smaller session.’