VLAD’S THE WAY TO FLY
Inside Putin’s £390m ‘Flying Kremlin’ jet with gold-plated toilet and presidential bar putting Air Force One in its wake
VLADIMIR Putin touched down in Switzerland for crunch talks with Joe Biden in a luxury £390m 'Flying Kremlin' jet - which even has a gold-plated loo.
and are meeting in a luxury villa next to Lake Geneva to discuss a wide range of issues from cyberattacks in the US to mounting tensions in Ukraine.
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Among the luxurious trappings on board the official Ilyushin plane are a fully-stocked bar, bedrooms and a gym.
The interior decor has a neoclassical style and the huge conference table is gold trimmed and surrounded by cream leather seats.
Putin is reported to have clocked up more air miles in high office than all other Russian leaders put together.
His amazing jet is capable of hitting speeds of up to 560mph and was made by the Voronezh Aircraft Production Association.
It is equipped with advanced communication system that allows it to act as a management centre capable of commanding of troops during combat.
It comes as...
- US and Russia both held war games ahead of the summit as Putin deployed 'Dagger' missiles
- Biden branded Putin a 'worthy adversary' after previously calling him a 'killer' - while Vlad also took aim at Joe
- Ukraine is considering joining NATO in a blow to Russia after months of military tension
- Biden blasted his predecessor Trump in a speech at NATO accusing in him 'phony populism'
- Putin and Biden's feud has rattled on for 20 years as the Democrat said the Russian leader doesn't have a 'soul'
- Vlad's distrust of the US is said to be rooted in his fear of being 'killed like Gaddafi'
Putin's plane touched down in Geneva at 12.27pm local time today.
Today's crunch face-to-face comes after Biden's first foreign trip as US president, in which he attended high-profile meetings with G7 and Nato leaders.
It is seen as a moment of high-stakes diplomacy which comes as relations between the two superpowers have hit rock bottom.
And the meeting - held in plush Villa La Grange - is overshadowed by Russia’s election meddling and allegations of cyberattacks in the US.
Biden and Putin have already exchanged brutal barbs with the US leader branding his rival a "killer" while the Russian described Biden as trying to be "macho" and "Hollywood".
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The US President this week described Putin as a "worthy adversary" as he pledged to confront him on various issues between the two powers, saying his rival is "bright" and "tough".
He has said today's meeting in Switzerland is an important step if the two countries are able to ultimately find "stability and predictability" in their relations.
Observers say the summit represents the first major diplomatic challenge for Biden since he took office in January.
The two men's relationship is believed to be much frostier than the one he had with Biden's predecessor Donald Trump.
Biden has been highly sceptical of the Russian leader for more than 20 years - and previously slammed former US President George W. Bush for claiming Putin is “trustworthy".
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One former US official told ahead of this week’s meeting that there is “nothing Putin can do to make [the president] like him.”
“Biden sees Putin as someone who is rational, thuggish — someone who is not confined by any sense of morality or concern over human rights or anything of that nature … just a cold, hard realistic assessment of the man," they said.
Biden has repeatedly called out Putin for cyberattacks by Russian-based hackers on the US, accused of him running roughshod over democracy and interfering in American elections.
Putin meanwhile has denied any malicious actions against the US - and pointed to the US Capitol attack on January 6 as comparable to his own actions in cracking down on opposition.
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo believes Putin will "smell weakness" on Joe Biden.
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Donald Trump ally Pompeo - who may be a presidential candidate in 2024 - has said he expects the former KGB spook to sniff out weakness on Biden.
He predicted that Putin will "see how far he can push President Biden – and I hope not just in words but in deeds, this administration is prepared to show up to do what we did, to hold Russia accountable for its malign activity and make clear there are red lines".
And a spokesman for Putin this morning cautioned the talks will not be easy or likely to yield any major breakthroughs.
Dmitry Peskov said before the Russia-U.S. summit in Geneva that the topics on the broad agenda are mostly "problematic."
"We have many long-neglected questions that need to be trawled through. Thats why President Putin is arriving with an attitude to frankly and constructively set questions and try to find solutions," he said.
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"No, this day cannot become historic, and we shouldn't expect any breakthroughs.
";The situation is too difficult in Russian-American relations," he continued.
"However, the fact that the two presidents agreed to meet and finally start to speak openly about the problems is already an achievement.
"We can say that without having started yet, the summit already has a positive result, but we should not await breakthroughs."
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Neither currently has an ambassador in-country, and Russia recently included the US on its official list of "unfriendly states".
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However, Mr Putin told state TV there were "issues where we can work together", starting with new nuclear arms control talks, discussing regional conflicts including Syria and Libya, and climate change.
"If we can create mechanisms for working on those issues, then I think we can say the summit was not in vain," he said.
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