GENEVA, June 16 – U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said they found some common ground on minor issues at their first face-to-face summit while major differences that have brought bilateral ties to one of their lowest points since the Cold War remain.

Following more than three hours of talks in Geneva on June 16, Biden said the discussions between the two leaders had been intense and detailed to the point that "we didn't need to spend more time talking,” RFE/RL reported.

For his part Putin said the meeting features pragmatic talks with a constructive, experienced partner, that spoke "the same language" even if their relationship doesn't reach the point of friendship.

The summit came as Putin continues to consolidate his dominance of the country’s political system, squeezing opposition activists like Aleksei Navalny and throttling independent media and NGOs ahead of Russia's September parliamentary elections.

Ahead of the meeting, expectations for any substantial gains were low, with both sides expressing pessimism on the prospects of significant progress given the range of issues -- from arms control and cyberhacking to election interference and Ukraine -- that have widened the divide between the two superpowers.

In a show of that chasm, Biden and Putin held separate news conferences after the talks.

Earlier, Putin said Russia and the United States shared a responsibility for nuclear stability, and would hold talks on possible changes to their recently extended New START arms limitation treaty.

Biden said he told Putin that human rights will always be on the table, and that he will continue to raise the issue, including the arrest of Russian opposition politician and Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny.

The Russian leader dismissed Washington's concerns over the crackdown on dissent and the free press, as well as Russia's increased military presence near Ukraine's eastern border.

One tangible point of finding common ground was an agreement between the president to return their ambassadors to their posts in a bid to lower tensions. (rfe/ez)