there are worse places to start

[sitifan]

Biden has seen more of Putin over the past 20 years—and he doesn’t trust him. In fact, Biden said earlier this year, he, too, has looked into Putin’s eyes, and doesn’t think he has a soul. Putin’s retort, Biden told ABC, was that the men “understand each other.” Heading into a tense summit, there are worse places to start. (Time)
https://time.com/6072786/biden-puti...sxJ6z7uHsBFnroX7dbF42p-lYvhPDta5Ag3YYQ9FYChMk

What does the clause in red mean?

 

[Tarheel]

Ideally, they could be getting along better, but it could be worse. In other words, there is hope that the talks can be constructive.

 

[sitifan]

I figure there are worse places to start looking for answers.
https://books.google.com.tw/books?i...e&q="there are worse places to start"&f=false

What does the above sentence mean?

 

[GoesStation]

I figure: I believe

there are worse places to start looking for answers: the place where I'm looking isn't bad. There's a good chance I'll find a useful answer to the problem I'm working on if I look there.

 

[Tdol]

It's not necessarily the best place, though.