Joe Biden and Vladamir Putin open summit with a handshake

For months, the two leaders have traded sharp rhetoric

Russian president Vladimir Putin, left, and US president Joe Biden shake hands ahead of their summit. Picture: Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool/AP

US president Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have arrived at the lush lakeside Swiss mansion for their highly anticipated summit, a moment of high-stakes diplomacy at a time when both leaders agree that relations between their countries are at an all-time low.

The two leaders shook hands while appearing briefly before cameras with Swiss president Guy Parmelin, who welcomed them to Switzerland, and then entered the mansion for what is expected to be four or five hours of talks.