Chris Mason: Joe Biden and Keir Starmer attempt to second guess Putin

Within the hours earlier than the prime minister was taken by motorcade to the White Home, he and his workforce have been in a safe room on the close by British Embassy.

This can be a room designed for conversations spies aren’t meant to listen to, nonetheless subtle their methods for eavesdropping and intercepting digital exchanges.

The Downing Avenue workforce have been speaking to British authorities workers in Ukraine and Russia, assembling their briefing and method for his or her forthcoming dialog with President Biden.

They arrived on the White Home within the late afternoon Washington time, the president exhibiting Sir Keir Starmer across the Rose Backyard earlier than heading for the Blue Room.

On both sides of a protracted rectangular desk, the 2 delegations, the prime minister and president with seven colleagues every alongside them.

For just some minutes, we reporters have been invited in too.

Heat phrases from the leaders adopted by loud questions and immediate ejection for the journalists.

What adopted was about 90 minutes of dialog in personal.

Ukraine dominated, however to not the exclusion of different points – not least the Center East, China and Iran.

Downing Avenue had sought prematurely to painting this as a possibility for a deeper dialog than the standard spherical of worldwide summits usually enable.

However why trouble when President Biden is quickly to be yesterday’s man, out of workplace, energy and affect in 4 months time?

The urgency of the problems on the desk, I’m instructed.

Take Ukraine: an ally of each the UK and the US, nonetheless in determined want of ongoing assist as its pals weigh up how finest to offer it – and at what price.

The UK has been “ahead going through” because it was put to me in making the case to others to conform to Kyiv’s request to be allowed to fireplace western missiles into Russia.

President Biden is sceptical, fearful it might drag America and Europe into direct battle with Moscow.

That’s simply what Vladimir Putin has been hinting at in the previous few days.

Then once more his sabre rattling up to now hasn’t come to a lot, so maybe it wouldn’t once more?

However possibly, this time, it might.

Diplomacy and intelligence turning to the psychology of a frontrunner at battle, making an attempt to second guess how he may react.

Would he actually ponder a army assault on a Nato member state – with the scary potential of hauling the entire western alliance into battle with Russia?

And, if not that, would Ukraine’s allies abdomen decrease stage aggression in retaliation, comparable to cyber assaults or damaging sub-sea communication cables?

There was little expectation this assembly would resolve the query about western missiles, not least as a result of additional conversations with others on the United Nations are anticipated shortly.

Afterwards, the prime minister wouldn’t be drawn on whether or not he had persuaded the president to alter his thoughts.

This can be a battle with out apparent finish which presents too no finish of thorny dilemmas primarily based round a recurring theme: defeat Russia with out scary Moscow.

What could possibly be the results of motion?

And what could possibly be the results of inaction?

It’s the essence of the West’s problem because the full scale invasion of Ukraine two and a half years in the past.