US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are preparing sit down for their first, highly-anticipated summit.

The talks in Geneva, Switzerland, come at a time when both sides describe relations as being at rock bottom.

Issues include arms control, sanctions and US allegations of Russian cyber-attacks and election interference.

No major breakthroughs are expected but there are hopes of finding small areas of agreement.

The arrangements for the meeting have been carefully choreographed, with the Russian president due to arrive first at a grand villa overlooking Lake Geneva where the summit is taking place, followed by Mr Biden.

The meeting comes on the tail end of Mr Biden's first foreign trip as US president, in which he has also attended meetings with G7 and Nato leaders. Going into the summit, Mr Biden has stressed that he has the backing of his Western partners.

The choice of Geneva as the setting harks back to the Cold War summit between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985.

Neither the US nor Russia currently has an ambassador in-country, and Russia recently included the US on its official list of "unfriendly states".

However, Mr Biden has said the meeting is an important step if they are to ultimately find "stability and predictability" in relations, while Mr Putin told state TV there were "issues where we can work together".

But Yuri Ushakov, Mr Putin's foreign affairs adviser, told journalists there was "not much" ground for optimism.

Meanwhile, asked if the leaders - who previously met while Mr Biden was vice-president - would share a meal together, one senior US official told AFP news agency: "There will be no breaking of bread."

What are some of the big issues?

• Diplomacy: The two sides are expected to discuss the withdrawal of their ambassadors, who returned home amid the heightened tensions. The US has expelled dozens of Russian diplomats and shut down two compounds in recent years, while US missions in Russia are to be barred from employing locals, meaning dramatic cuts in services including visas

• Arms control: Officials also believe there could be common ground on arms control. In February, the countries extended their New Start nuclear arms control treaty. Russia wants this to be further extended.

• Cyber-attacks: Mr Biden is expected to raise concerns over recent cyber-attacks that the US has linked to Russia-based hackers. Mr Putin has denied Russian involvement.

• Elections: The issue of alleged Russian interference in US elections is also likely to come up. Again, Mr Putin denies this

• Prisoners: The families of two former US marines who are being held in Russian prisons have pressed for their release ahead of the summit. Asked if he would be willing to negotiate on a prisoner swap, Mr Putin told NBC News "of course"

• Navalny: The Russian side has called the alleged poisoning and imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny an internal political matter. But a senior US official told AP news agency there is "no issue that is off the table for the president”.

• Ukraine: Relations with the US deteriorated when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014. There have been warnings this year of a build-up of Russian troops in Crimea and near Ukraine's border, sparking concerns of preparations for war. Mr Putin has also baulked recently at the idea of Ukrainian membership of Nato

• Syria: Mr Biden is expected to appeal to Russia not to close the only remaining UN aid corridor from Turkey into opposition-held northwest Syria. A vote on re-authorising the corridor will be held by the UN Security Council, where Russia - which supports Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad - has veto power.