Smart move in a way. Biden wants to avoid invidious comparisons.
“I always found, and I don’t mean to suggest the press should not know, but this is not a contest about who can do better in front of a press conference or try to embarrass one another,” Biden said
Biden says he won’t hold a joint press conference with Putin because he doesn’t want to get ‘diverted’ by who ‘talked the most’
The solo press conference is a departure from the last meeting between a US president and Putin, which last occurred with Trump in 2018.
One thing Democrats really care about is optics.