In March 2011, then US President Joe Biden (left), then Vice President, and Russian President Vladimir, former Prime Minister, met in Moscow, Russia, shaking hands. AP Yonhap News material photo
The Russian government said that US President Joe Biden did not respond to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to have a “live-to-air debate”.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on the 22nd (local time), “Unfortunately, on the 19th or 22nd, for discussion of the agenda such as the accumulated bilateral issues and strategic stability, a public video chat with President Biden will be set up and broadcast live The US side did not support the proposal,” he said. He added, “At the responsibility of the United States, another opportunity to find a way out of the dead end of Russia-US relations has been blown away.” “The responsibility lies entirely with the United States.”
Earlier, President Biden replied “yes” to the question on whether he thinks Putin is a’killer’ in an interview on his native ABC broadcast on the 17th. President Putin is under suspicion that he ordered the assassination of his political opponent Alexey Nibalni with poison. On the 2nd of this month, the Biden government sanctioned senior Russian officials, research institutes, security agencies, and businesses, saying it concluded that the Russian government is behind the attempt to poison Navalni.
In an interview, President Biden also warned that Russia would pay the price, saying he received reports of intervening in the US presidential election last year following 2016.
On the 18th, President Putin said, “I would like to propose to President Biden to continue the discussion. However, it is a condition that it must be live online. He added that he would be able to talk about many issues, including bilateral relations, strategic stability, and regional dispute resolution. President Biden made his first phone call after taking office with President Putin on January 26 to discuss bilateral and international issues.
On the same day, President Putin counterattacked President Biden’s remarks of a’killer’, saying, “If you call others that way, you will be called so too.”
The U.S. and Russia have been struggling over various issues such as the Ukrainian conflict, the Syrian civil war, sanctions against Iran, and human rights. Biden said the US administration had room for cooperation in the area of mutual interest with Russia, but suggested that it would respond strongly to Russia’s attempts to undermine US interests and human rights abuses.
Kwon Gyeong-seong reporter [email protected]
News directly edited by the Hankook Ilbo can also be viewed on Naver.
