The consensus seems to be that the Putin-Biden talks went about as well as can be expected. That is, nobody blew kisses, but nobody took a shoe off and pounded it on the table. About as well as can be expected.
Which counts as a win for the American president. And for the world. The Russians will press and prod and continue to look for weaknesses in the Western alliances and American defenses. President Biden apparently warned Vladimir Putin that Americans had cyberattack weaponry as well.
Of course, Tsar Vlad denied the Moscow government had anything to do with the recent cyberattacks on this country's businesses and infrastructure. And he might have been telling half the truth. Word is that the hackers in Russia are only protected by the government there, not necessarily a part of it.
As far as President Biden's message: "This is not a kumbaya moment. But it's clearly not in anybody's interest, your country's or mine, for us to be in a situation where we're in another Cold War."
As far as President Putin's message: "It seems to me that we generally spoke the same language. This doesn't mean at all that we must necessarily look into the soul, into the eyes and swear ... eternal love and friendship. Not at all. We are protecting the interests of our countries and peoples. These relations are primarily pragmatic."
That "soul" bit might have been a dig at former President George W. Bush, who once said he could see into the soul of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin at a joint press conference.
The ambassadors have been invited back to both capitals. The American president glad-handed at NATO. Western worries about political prisoners in Russian jails were laid out. And the Russian president said the meeting might lead to more constructive talks later.
About as well as can be expected.