The Biden-Putin summit in Geneva on June 16 is a pivotal international spotlight for the new U.S. administration.

It will provide a clearer picture of what is currently a contradictory Russia policy — one that defines President Vladimir Putin as a “killer” but allows him to strangle Ukraine. A strangulation, that is, in the form of Biden allowing Moscow to complete its Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. Biden faces a stark choice at the summit: either to accommodate Putin’s anti-Western campaign or to confront him with painful repercussions.