President Joe Biden delivered a candid and wide-ranging solo press conference on Thursday following the NATO Summit, addressing pressing international issues and defending his administration’s policies amidst growing scrutiny over his health and political future.
During the press conference, Biden emphatically stated his reluctance to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin at present. “I have no good reason to talk to Putin right now. There’s not much that he is prepared to do in terms of accommodating any change in his behaviour, but there isn’t any world leader I’m not prepared to deal with,” Biden asserted, responding to a question about potential dialogue with the Russian leader. He emphasized, however, that he remains open to discussions with any world leader, contingent upon changes in their conduct.
“But I understand your generic point is, is Putin ready to talk? I’m not ready to talk to Putin unless Putin’s ready to change his behaviour and the idea look, Putin’s got a problem,” he continued as he dismissed concerns about his health. There have been several Democratic leaders who have urged him to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election.
Regarding Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Biden criticized Putin’s strategy and downplayed Russia’s territorial gains. “First of all, in this war that he supposedly has won, and by the way, I think, don’t hold me to the exact number, but I think that Russia had 17.3 per cent of Ukraine that they’ve conquered, now it’s 17.4. I mean, in terms of percentage of territory,” Biden remarked. “They’ve not been very successful. They’ve caused horrible damage, and loss of life, but they’ve also lost over 350,000 troops, military, killed or wounded. They have over a million people, particularly young people with technical capability leaving Russia because they see no future there. They’ve got a problem,” he added, highlighting Russia’s internal challenges and brain drain.
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Despite the grim assessment of Russia’s situation, Biden acknowledged the Kremlin’s effective control over domestic narratives. “But what they do have control of is they are very good at controlling and running the public outcry that relates to how they use mechanisms to communicate with people. They lie like hell to the constituencies. They lie like hell about what’s going on. So the idea that we’re going to be able to fundamentally Change Russia in the near term is not likely,” Biden criticized, pointing out Russia’s propaganda efforts while expressing skepticism about imminent changes in Russia’s behavior. “But one thing for certain. If we allow Russia to succeed in Ukraine, they’re not stopping in Ukraine…I’m prepared to talk to any leader who wants to talk, including if Putin calls me and wants to talk. The last time, I talked to Putin was trying to get him to work on an arms control agreement related to nuclear weapons and space. That didn’t go very far.”
“So, my point is I’m prepared to talk to anybody, but I don’t see any inclination. There is an inclination on the part of the Chinese to keep in contact with me because they’re not sure where this all goes. Look what’s happened in Asia. We have strengthened the Asian-Pacific area more than anyone else has,” he said. “I asked our NATO allies that we bring on the group from the South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Australia. I’ve met twice now, with the 14 leaders of the Pacific island nations, and we’ve slowed down what’s going on there. We’ve slowed down China’s reach. But there’s a lot of work to do. This is a moving target, and I don’t take it lightly.”
On broader international relations, Biden reaffirmed his willingness to engage with global leaders, noting ongoing dialogues with China amidst regional tensions. “I’m prepared to talk to any leader who wants to talk, including if Putin calls me and wants to talk,” Biden affirmed, recounting previous unsuccessful attempts to negotiate with Putin on arms control.
Addressing concerns about his fitness for office and criticisms following his recent debate performance with Donald Trump, Biden remained resolute. “I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to complete the job,” Biden declared, dismissing doubts about his ability to serve another four-year term.
