Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he should have direct talks with US President Joe Biden after the US president branded him a 'killer'.
Biden's remarks came during an ABC interview in which he was asked if he thought Putin was a killer, to which he responded, 'I do'. He went on to say that Putin 'had no soul' and that he would 'pay a price' for election meddling. There have been long-time accusations that the Russian state has tried to interfere with elections both in the United States and elsewhere. The evidence for this, or at least the impact of such meddling being effective, is flimsy at best.
The remarks have caused a diplomatic spat and resulted in Russia recalling its US Ambassador.
The spat comes just months after the United States and Russia signed a new pact to not build any more nuclear weapons. Biden and Putin have previously spoken on the telephone.
Putin said in response to Biden's comments that the two leaders should speak immediately and that he was open to discussing a wide-range of topics, including regional disputes. He also said that all world leaders have to deal with 'bloody-events'. He elaborated on this by referencing the United States historical treatment of Native Americans and Black people.
The Russian President said:
"I want to offer President Biden that we continue our discussion, but on the condition that we do it live, online, without any delays."
He added:
"I remember in my childhood, when we argued in the courtyard with each other we used to say: he who said it, did it. And that's not a coincidence, not just a children's saying or joke. The psychological meaning here is very deep. We always see our own traits in other people and think they are like how we really are. And as a result we assess (a person's) activities and give assessments. We will work with them in the areas in which we are interested on terms that we consider advantageous to ourselves. They will have to deal with that regardless of all their attempts to stop us developing, regardless of the sanctions, and regardless of the insults".
A Whitehouse spokesperson said later that Biden did not regret making the comments and dismissed calls for Biden and Putin to talk further, the spokesperson said:
"I would say the President already had a conversation with President Putin, even as there are more world leaders that he has not yet engaged with. The President will of course be in Georgia tomorrow and quite busy."
{h/t: Reuters]
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