The Russian presidency warned the Kremlin, on Saturday evening, that US President Joe Biden’s insulting statements would “narrow the window of opportunities available to normalize relations” between Moscow and Washington.
Biden called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a “butcher” during his visit to Ukrainian refugees in Poland on Saturday.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the US president’s words, saying: “It is surprising to hear such accusations against Putin from Biden, who had previously issued orders to bomb Yugoslavia and kill people.”
Peskov warned that “the new humiliation against Putin by Biden further narrows the window of opportunity for normalization of relations between Russia and the United States.”
Biden had previously described the Russian president as a “war criminal” because of his country’s military operation against Ukraine, which prompted Moscow to summon the US ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan, against the background of the US president’s statements.
Moscow confirmed to the US ambassador that Biden’s statements against Putin were “unacceptable”, and that Russia had submitted a protest note, according to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine , which was followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of “tough” economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.
To end the operation, Russia requires Ukraine to abandon any plans to join military entities, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and to adhere to complete neutrality, which Kyiv considers an “interference in its sovereignty.”
