Biden and Putin confirmed to meet at Geneva’s Parc La Grange

The word that had been going around is now official: the highly awaited Biden-Putin summit will take place at the Villa La Grange, on the left bank of Lake Geneva.

Both Parc la Grange and neighbouring Parc des Eaux-Vives, which stood as another contender to host the meeting, had been closed to the public by the City of Geneva since Tuesday, and until 18 June.

Read also: Geneva’s Parc des Eaux-Vives will likely welcome Biden and Putin.

But, as confirmed by the Swiss ministry of foreign affairs on Twitter this morning, the US and Russian presidents will meet at the Villa La Grange, which overhangs Geneva’s largest public park.

The iconic Villa La Grange will host Presidents Biden 🇺🇸 and Putin 🇷🇺 on June 16. Switzerland thanks the two countries for the trust expressed by choosing #Geneva@POTUS @KremlinRussiaE pic.twitter.com/Q8vag8hhhL

— Swiss MFA (@SwissMFA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SwissMFA/status/1402866434372419584?refsrc=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2021

With the meeting location now official, the Geneva public may witness an aerial ballet of helicopters ahead of the meeting, as both delegations make their way from the lake’s right bank – where the Russian and American permanent missions, as well as the Intercontinental hotel, are located – to the park.

The Geneva State Council has announced that most of the lakeside – from the Perle du Lac on the right bank to Parc La Grange on the left bank – will be closed to both the public and traffic on 16 June. Exceptions will be made for local inhabitants and employees, who will need to present supporting documents to access the area.

The summit, which will involve the arrival of some 2,000 people (1,000 from each delegation), comes against a background of international tensions, making the slightest diplomatic or logistical faux-pas a threat to its taking place.