--- description: Mikhail Palinchak's photos reveal a look at the everyday spaces where some of the world’s most powerful figures come together to make crucial decisions that shape the lives of millions of people title: Behind the Scenes at Davos, NATO Summits and Other Powerful Events image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte9672462a3d5c05c/698943da457a526ea4d605fd/bilateral-rooms-mikhail-palinchak-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Inside the Rooms Where the World's Most Powerful Leaders Make Decisions That Affect Millions of People Jan 25, 2019 4:42 PM CUT  NATO Summit, Warsaw, Poland, July 2016. NATO Summit, Warsaw, Poland, July 2016.Mikhail Palinchak by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jan 25, 2019 4:42 PM CUT A bag rests on a plain white chair; men in suits wait in a lounge area; unopened water bottles sit on an empty table — the photos that make up the series “Bilateral Rooms” look like they could come from any typical business meeting. Instead, the series, by photographer Mikhail Palinchak, reveals a look at the everyday spaces where some of the world’s most powerful figures come together to make crucial decisions that shape the lives of millions of people. In his photo series, Palinchak opens the closed door to the negotiation rooms where the action takes place, exploring the paradoxes that come from using temporary spaces that look like any other conference room to make the choices that permanently shift the course of the world. From [NATO summits](http://time.com/5329501/europe-trump-iran-deal/ "undefined") to the United Nations General Assembly and even to this year’s [World Economic Forum in Davos](http://time.com/collection-post/5512726/davos-economic-inequality-time/ "undefined"), each negotiation room offers up something similar: minimalist interiors with only the basics, nondescript furniture and subdued colors that offer a backdrop for representatives from all nations to hold the most pertinent conversations.  NATO Summit, Warsaw, Poland, July 2016. Mikhail Palinchak  Eastern Partnership Summit, Brussels, Belgium, November 2017. Mikhail Palinchak  Nuclear Security Summit, Washington DC, USA, April 2016. Mikhail Palinchak  United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 21, Paris, France, November 2015. Mikhail Palinchak  World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland, January 2018. Mikhail Palinchak  NATO Summit, Warsaw, Poland, July 2016. Mikhail Palinchak  United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 21, Paris, France, November 2015. Mikhail Palinchak  World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland, January 2019. Mikhail Palinchak  NATO Summit, Warsaw, Poland, July 2016. Mikhail Palinchak  NATO Summit, Brussels, Belgium, July 2018. Mikhail Palinchak  NATO Summit, Brussels, Belgium, July 2018. Mikhail Palinchak  Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde at the head of IMF delegation in the Headquarter of the United Nations during opening 71th session of the UN General Assembly, New York, USA on September 21, 2016 Mikhail Palinchak **Mikhail Palinchak** is a Ukraine-based photographer. Follow him on Instagram [@mpalinchakphoto](https://www.instagram.com/mpalinchakphoto/ "undefined") **Mahita Gajanan** is a reporter at TIME. Follow her on Twitter [@mahitagajanan](https://twitter.com/mahitagajanan "undefined") **Maïa Booker**, who edited this photo essay, is a Senior Multimedia Editor at TIME. Follow her on Instagram [@maiabooker\_ ](https://www.instagram.com/maiabooker%5F/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5511229/bilateral-rooms-photos/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5511229/bilateral-rooms-photos/"},"headline":"Inside the Rooms Where the World's Most Powerful Leaders Make Decisions That Affect Millions of People","datePublished":"2019-01-25T16:42:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:39:24.885Z","description":"Mikhail Palinchak's photos reveal a look at the everyday spaces where some of the world’s most powerful figures come together to make crucial decisions that shape the lives of millions of people","url":"https://time.com/5511229/bilateral-rooms-photos/","keywords":["photography","LightBox","longform"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5511229/bilateral-rooms-photos/","name":"Inside the Rooms Where the World's Most Powerful Leaders Make Decisions That Affect Millions of People"}}]}] ```