Six months on from their summit in Geneva, Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin have had a two-hour meeting – this time to discuss the tense situation on Russia’s border with Ukraine. From Putin’s side, he’s set a “red line” on NATO’s expansion in Eastern Europe. What that means is the security organisation that counts Western Europe, Canada and the US as members is talking to Ukraine about joining. That would put the military might of those nations too close for Russia’s comfort. For Biden’s part, he’s not digging Russia’s massing of 94,000 troops and military equipment on the Ukraine border, with experts predicting an invasion in early 2022. Before the meeting, US Government officials said that Russia would be threatened with the toughest economic sanctions in an effort to stop any military escalation against Ukraine. So you can see why the talks have been described as “critical”… Putin is said to be seeking a guarantee NATO will stay clear of his neighbour.