‘Killer’ Vladimir Putin will ‘pay the price’, says Joe Biden

Russia called its US ambassador back to Moscow in the first diplomatic crisis of the Biden administration.

Joe Biden in the Oval Office on Thursday. Picture: AFP

Russia called its US ambassador back to Moscow for consultations on Thursday AEDT after Joe Biden described Vladimir Putin as a “killer” who would “pay a price” for election meddling, prompting the first diplomatic crisis for the new American president.

In an interview with ABC News, Mr Biden was asked about a US intelligence report that the Russian leader tried to harm his candidacy in last November’s election and promote that of Donald Trump. “He will pay a price,” he said.

Asked if he thought Mr 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.”

The comments were aired as the US Commerce Department announced it was toughening export restrictions imposed on Russia as punishment for Mr Navalny’s poisoning.

Russia responded by summoning its envoy home, although the State Department did not reciprocate by recalling its own ambassador to Moscow.

“The Russian ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, has been invited to come to Moscow for consultations conducted with the aim of analysing what should be done and where to go in the context of ties with the United States,” the Russian foreign ministry said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told RIA Novosti that “responsibility for further deterioration of Russian-American ties fully rests with the United States”.

In Washington, the State Department noted the Russian move and said the US will “remain clear-eyed about the challenges that Russia poses”.

A State Department spokeswoman said the US envoy would remain in Moscow in the hopes of maintaining “open channels of communication” and in order to “reduce the risk of miscalculation between our countries”.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki was asked whether the President considers Mr Putin literally or just metaphorically a killer.

Vladimir Putin launches via video link a gold processing facility in Kyrgyzstan. Picture: AFP

“He does not hold back on his concerns about what we see as malign and problematic actions,” Mr Psaki said, citing election interference, Mr Navalny’s poisoning, cyberattacks and bounties on US troops in Afghanistan.

“He’s not going to hold back in his direct communications, nor is he going to hold back publicly. We are not going to look the other way as we saw a little bit over the last four years.” Mr Biden told ABC News he had a “long talk” with Mr Putin after taking office in January.

“The conversation started off, I said, ‘I know you and you know me. If I establish this occurred, then be prepared’,” he said.

Mr Biden’s assessment that Mr Putin is a “killer” marked a stark contrast with Mr Trump’s steadfast refusal to say anything negative about the Russian President.

In a 2017 interview with Fox News, Mr Trump was asked about Mr Putin being a “killer”. “There are a lot of killers,” he replied. “You think our country’s so innocent?”

Despite his thoughts about the Russian leader, Mr Biden said “there are places where it’s in our mutual interest to work together”. “That’s why I renewed the START agreement with him,” he said of the nuclear treaty.

“That occurred while he’s doing this but that’s overwhelmingly in the interest of humanity, that we diminish the prospect of a nuclear exchange.”

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, denounced Mr Biden for agreeing with the description of Mr Putin as a “killer”. “Biden insulted the citizens of our country,” Mr Volodin said. “Attacks on (Putin) are attacks on our country.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the US determination that Russia had targeted election infrastructure during the 2020 presidential election as “absolutely groundless and unsubstantiated” and an excuse for new sanctions.

According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Mr Putin and other senior officials “were aware of and probably directed” Russia’s influence operation to sway the vote in Mr Trump’s favour. It concluded, however, that the election results were not compromised.

Russia faced allegations of US election meddling in 2016 for launching a social media campaign to boost Mr Trump’s candidacy and discredit his opponent Hillary Clinton. After Mr Biden’s victory over Mr Trump, Mr Putin was among the last world leaders to congratulate the newly-elected Democratic president.

AFP