The expectations for the summit in Geneva were low. But: They were fulfilled. That’s good news. For the world, for Switzerland.
The ambassadors of the USA and Russia will return to the other country. This is the biggest breakthrough in the nearly five-hour talks that Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday evening. Biden let him take the stage for the news.
The world breathes a sigh of relief. The heads of state, who both brought the nuclear codes for their nuclear weapons with them to Switzerland, are only upgrading after the Geneva meeting in terms of communication channels.
Switzerland can be proud. She did not initiate the talks, but cleverly lobbyed them to turn our country into a world stage. And got something out of it, too: It would not have come to the tête-à-tête between the federal councils and the US president that quickly – if not as a bilateral by-product of the US-Russia summit.
Even the weather played along. The more than a thousand accredited journalists worked up a sweat while reporting, but everyone will remember the wonderful view of the lake and the friendly people of Geneva. Of course, this was also an issue in many live broadcasts, while the hot topics were negotiated behind closed doors.
Sun, smooth organization and a little world peace: the meeting of the mighty on Swiss soil was a great success.
The summit could also have failed. What if Biden and Putin had broken off – like Trump and Kim Jong in Hanoi (Vietnam) in 2019?
Switzerland took the risk. She delivered. And won. As a small country that plays a major role in international diplomacy.
Guy Parmelin described Geneva as the “City of Peace” when he met Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden in front of the Villa La Grange. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But an excellent message from Switzerland to the world.