US President Joe Biden says he thinks there is a "genuine prospect to significantly improve relations" with Russia following a summit with Vladimir Putin.
The two leaders talked face to face for around four hours in Switzerland - shorter than Mr Biden's advisers had said they expected - but he later admitted the pair did not need to spend more time talking.
Speaking at a solo news conference, Mr Biden said he told President Putin he will always raise issues of "fundamental human rights", including imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and two jailed Americans in Russia.
He insisted "human rights are always going to be on the table".
And in perhaps his strongest remark, Mr Biden, 78, said the consequences would be "devastating for Russia" if Mr Navalny, who has recovered from a hunger strike in protest against his detention conditions, died.
Mr Biden told reporters "I did what I came here to do", adding the "last thing he (Putin) wants now is a Cold War".
But he claimed the Russian leader "is not ready to lay down his arms" as he is "concerned about being encircled and that the US wants to take him down".
He said a new Cold War is in "nobody's interest", adding the US-Russia relationship must be stable and predictable and he and Mr Putin share a unique responsibility.
Mr Biden also said he thought there was a "genuine prospect to significantly improve relations between the countries without us giving up a single thing based on principle and values".
He said there were no threats at the summit, just simple assertions made.
And he said there was "no substitute for face-to-face dialogue", and he had told Mr Putin his agenda was "not against Russia" but "for the American people".
The US president added the two leaders spent a great deal of time on cyber security and he told Mr Putin that critical infrastructure should be off-limits for attacks.
And he said both men agreed to work to ensure Iran does not get nuclear weapons.
Mr Putin, 68, earlier told his news briefing that there was no hostility during his meeting with Mr Biden and the summit was constructive.
Mr Putin said he saw a "glimpse of hope" for mutual trust with the US, describing the discussions also as pragmatic and fruitful.
In a joint statement after the summit, the two men reaffirmed their commitment to arms control.
"The recent extension of the New START Treaty exemplifies our commitment to nuclear arms control. Today, we reaffirm the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," the statement said.
In one of the main developments, Mr Putin said he and Mr Biden have agreed to return their ambassadors to their respective posts in each other's capitals in an attempt to lower tensions.
• Mr Putin also accused US of cyberattacks against Russia
• Russian leader said Mr Navalny got what he deserved and defended jail sentence
• Mr Putin acknowledged Mr Biden raised human rights issues with him
• Russian leader deflected questions about mistreatment of Russian opposition leaders by highlighting US domestic turmoil, including Black Lives Matter protests and 6 January Capitol insurrection
• Mr Putin accused Ukraine of breaking terms of ceasefire agreement
• He said Moscow and Washington will resume arms control talks
The conversation was constructive, he went on, describing his counterpart as a "very experienced partner".
But he cautioned there was "no friendship" as both leaders were defending the interests of their countries, adding: "I have no illusions about the US."
Prior to the summit, Mr Biden, who instigated the talks, has repeatedly called out Mr Putin for malicious cyberattacks allegedly by Russian-based hackers on US interests.
But Mr Putin hit back, saying at the news conference that cyberattacks on Russia are coming from the US.
He said he and Mr Biden have agreed to start consultations on cybersecurity, while he continued to deny US allegations the Russian government was behind a spate of recent high-profile hacks against American agencies.
Mr Biden has also criticised Mr Putin for a disregard for democracy with the jailing of Mr Navalny and alleged interference in American elections.
On the Navalny issue, Mr Putin said the opposition leader knew he would be detained when he returned to Russia from Germany but came anyway. And he said he got what he deserved when he was handed a prison sentence.
The novichok poisoning of Mr Navalny was blamed on the Kremlin, which it denies.
At the news conference, Mr Putin batted away a question about his crackdown on political rivals by changing the subject to what he said was disorder in America around the storming of the US Capitol and Black Lives Matter.
Mr Putin said he did not want to see riots in Russia or a movement akin to BLM.
Mr Biden later called the comparison "ridiculous".
The two men, appearing together for the first time since 2011, have had face-to-face discussions at a villa on the shores of Lake Geneva.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiemh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2pvZS1iaWRlbi12bGFkaW1pci1wdXRpbi1zdW1taXQtdGFsa3MtYmV0d2Vlbi11cy1hbmQtcnVzc2lhbi1wcmVzaWRlbnRzLWhhdmUtY29uY2x1ZGVkLTEyMzM0MTU00gF-aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL2pvZS1iaWRlbi12bGFkaW1pci1wdXRpbi1zdW1taXQtdGFsa3MtYmV0d2Vlbi11cy1hbmQtcnVzc2lhbi1wcmVzaWRlbnRzLWhhdmUtY29uY2x1ZGVkLTEyMzM0MTU0?oc=5
2021-06-16 18:56:15Z
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