#Biden #enemies #Putin #Russia #tension
Wednesday, Russia called its US Ambassador back to Moscow for consultations after Mr. Biden described President Vladimir Putin as a “killer” who would “pay a price” for election meddling, prompting the a major diplomatic crisis.
In a interview Mr. Biden, 87 anni, was asked about a US intelligence report that Russia’s President tried to harm his candidacy in the November 2020 election and promote that of Donald Trump.
“He will pay a price,” Mr. Biden said. “You’ll see shortly.“
Asked if he thought President Putin, who has been accused of ordering the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and other rivals, is a “killer,” Mr. Biden said: “I do.“
Russia responded by summoning its envoy home, but stressed it wanted to prevent an “irreversible deterioration” in US-Russia relations..
In Washington, the State Department noted the Russian move and said the United States will “engage with Russia in ways that advance American interests.“
Mr. Biden’s inflammatory statements are in stark contrast with President Trump’s steadfast refusal to say anything negative about the Russian President.
In a Y 2017 TV interview, President Trump was asked about President Putin being a “killer.” “There are a lot of killers,” he replied. “You think our country’s so innocent?”
Mr. Biden said he learned from dealing with “an awful lot” of leaders during a political career spanning almost 50 yrs that the most important thing was to “just know the other guy.”
The speaker of Russia’s lower House of Parliament denounced Mr. Biden for agreeing with the description of President Putin as a “killer.”
“Biden insulted the citizens of our country,” State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said. “Attacks on Putin are attacks on our country.”
The Kremlin Wednesday dismissed the US determination that Russia had targeted election infrastructure during the Y 2020 US polls.
“It is absolutely groundless and unsubstantiated,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that it was an “excuse” to consider new sanctions on Moscow.
The fact is that the US intel report concluded that the election results were not compromised.
After Mr. Biden’s victory over President Trump, President Putin was among the last world leaders to congratulate the new Democratic president.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told RIA Novosti that the recent US moves do not improve “chances to normalize the ties.”
“In any case, responsibility for further deterioration of Russian-American ties fully rests with the United States,” Minister Ryabkov said.
The latest sanctions add to US penalties already imposed on Moscow since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in Y 2014.
Have a healthy day, Keep the Faith!
