The two presidents met during a summit in Geneva to ease tense relations between the two countries. The discussions, lasting four hours, focused on several contentious subjects, including arms control and computer attacks.
One of the major themes discussed was American accusations over the treatment of opponents in Russia. Joe Biden responded with a clear warning: if Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, then imprisoned, were to die, the consequences would be “devastating” for Russia. The death of the opponent this Friday, February 16, at the age of 47, while he was serving a 19-year prison sentence for “extremism” in a remote penal colony in the Arctic, gives a tragic turn in retrospect.