GENEVA — In a political career spanning four decades, President Biden has seen American presidents from both parties try to transform the U.S.

In his first meeting as commander in chief with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden intended not to make the same mistake.

To avoid appearing weak, they negotiated that Putin would arrive at the venue first, eliminating the chances that the Russian leader would keep the U.S.

“There has been no hostility,” Putin told reporters after the meeting.

Biden said the meeting was “good” and “positive.”.

“These were clear steps forward,” said Sam Charap, a Russia analyst at Rand Corp.

President Donald Trump came into office openly admiring Putin and vowing to improve relations with Russia, but his cultivation of the Russian leader, including accepting his assurances that Russia had not interfered in the 2016 election, never translated into any change in Kremlin policies across a host of contentious issues.

Amid internal disputes over Russia policy, Biden has chosen a mix of confrontation and cooperation.

“The Biden team faced a situation where the best they can hope for is to stop the bleeding — to put a floor under the relationship,” Charap said6

Biden said he forcefully confronted Putin over election interference and human rights, including the jailing of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, but any hope for a mutual understanding appeared slim.

While Putin dismissed the likelihood of any newfound kinship, he invoked words sometimes attributed to the Russian author Leo Tolstoy on the possibility of an improved outlook