Putin Gives Positive Review of Meeting with Biden

HE IS DOING WHAT HE'S ALWAYS DOING, THAT RUSSIA IS A POWER AND IT REALLY MEANS NO HARM TO ANYBODY.

BUT IF YOU WORK WITH US WE ARE GOING TO BE HELPFUL AND WONDERFUL AND WHATNOT.

YOU JUST GAVE HIM, BY THE WAY, WITH THE OPENING STATEMENT YOU GAVE HIM, A GREAT GIFT WHEN YOU SAID TWO GREAT POWERS.

JUST MET IN GENEVA BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE'S BEEN LOOKING FOR.

HE WANTED ANOTHER BIG THREE, THE YALTA SUMMIT DURING WORLD WAR II.

SO HE WOULD BE SEEN AS ONE OF THOSE GREAT POWERS.

OF COURSE, CHINA IS A MUCH GREATER POWER.

IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT GLOBAL SECURITY, PROBABLY, IT HAS CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES.

THEY NEED TO BE SITTING DOWN LIKE THIS.

BUT RUSSIA IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT IS NOW A NEW CHINESE ALLY AND AN ADVERSARY OF THE UNITED STATES.

IN MANY WAYS WHAT THE PRESS CONFERENCE TOLD ME IS THAT BASICALLY PUTIN AFFIRMED THAT IF THE UNITED STATES STAYS OUT OF ITS INTERNAL AFFAIRS, IT'S GOING TO BE LESS CONFRONTATIONAL AND LESS UNPREDICTABLE ON THE WORLD STAGE, OR SO I READ ABOUT -- THE PRESS CONFERENCE THAT HE HAD.

OKAY.

SO LET ME GO TO RICHARD HAAS BECAUSE I DIDN'T GIVE HIM THAT GREAT GIFT, THAT WAS PRESIDENT BIDEN'S GIFT OF THE USE OF THE WORLD GLOBAL POWER.

THERE ARE MANY IN THE UNITED STATES SAY BIDEN SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE IT.

IT'S APPEASING PUTIN.

WHAT'S YOUR ASSESSMENT SO FAR OF THE TONE AT LEAST?

SO FAR THE TONE IS QUITE BUSINESS-LIKE.

IN THE CONTEXT OF U.S./RUSSIA RELATIONS IN RECENT YEARS, IT'S AS IF SOMEBODY DIALED IT DOWN SLIGHTLY.

PUTIN GOT IN HIS SHOTS PUBLICLY GOING AFTER THE CHAOS POLITICALLY IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT A LOT OF THAT IS AIMED NOT JUST AT US BUT AT HOME.

IT'S HIS WAY OF JUSTIFYING -- WE ASSOCIATE THE WORD DEMOCRACY WITH SOMETHING THAT IS UNRULY.

BUT I THINK PUTIN IS OPEN TO A SLIGHTLY MORE STABLE RELATIONSHIP.

WOULD OBVIOUSLY LIKE TO GET A LITTLE BIT OF ECONOMIC RELIEF AND BIDEN IS OPEN TO A MORE STABLE RELATIONSHIP BECAUSE IN LARGE PART HE DOESN'T WANT PROBLEMS CAUSED BY RUSSIA AND EUROPE.

DOESN'T WANT PROBLEMS CAUSED BY RUSSIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST AND WANTS TO FOCUS DOMESTICALLY, WHICH IS HIS PRIORITY, AND TO FOCUS ON CHINA IN THE ASIA PACIFIC.

SO IN THEIR OWN SORT OF WAY, THEY PROBABLY BOTH HAVE A SLIGHT CASE FOR CALMING THIS RELATIONSHIP, BUT NO ONE SHOULD CONFUSE THAT WITH DEVELOPING A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP.

RUSSIA IS NOT ONE OF THE GREAT POWERS OF THIS ERA OF HISTORY