npr.org. President Biden said he’s not focused on whether he can “trust” the Russian president ahead of their sit-down this week, but he’s hoping he will be able to find some areas where he can work with Vladimir Putin — while laying out “red lines” for other areas.
Biden spoke with reporters after a day of meetings with NATO allies in Brussels. He said that he discussed the upcoming U.S.-Russia summit with alliance members and that leaders were supportive of his outreach to Putin.
Biden has repeatedly said he wants a stable and predictable relationship with Russia. On Monday, he called Putin “tough” and “bright” and said he’s a “worthy adversary.”
“It’s not about trusting, it’s about agreeing,” Biden said. “When you write treaties with adversaries, you don’t say: ‘I trust you.’ You say: ‘This is what I expect.’ ”
Read also
Biden said he hopes that Putin is interested in “changing the perception the world has of him” and that he would engage in “appropriate behavior for a head of state.”