Putin again taunts Biden and says ‘we’ll talk soon’ as US president stumbles on Air Force One steps
VLADIMIR Putin taunted Joe Biden on Friday telling him “we’ll talk soon” after the US President fell three times on the stairs of Air Force One.
The Russian leader had called on Biden to hold a live discussion with him as early as today amid rising tensions after the US president branded Putin a “killer” earlier this week.
The Kremlin claimed Friday that Putin’s offer was an effort to repair ties between the two nations instead of “trading barbs.”
It said Putin only made the offer to defuse tensions over Biden’s “very bad remarks” and hoped to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, regional conflicts, and other issues.
“Since Biden’s words were quite unprecedented, unprecedented formats can’t be excluded,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“President Putin proposed to discuss the situation openly because it would be interesting for the people of both countries.”
Peskov added that it appeared the White House is refusing the call and warned that the offer would not be made a second time.
“The request has been made,” he said in a call with reporters,according to Associated Press. “The lack of response would mean a refusal to have a conversation.”
Biden was questioned about Putin’s request as he departed the White House on Friday and said, “I’m sure we’ll talk soon.”
It came just before he tripped three times as he boarded Air Force One to fly to Atlanta to meet with Asian community leaders after the mass shooting in the city on Tuesday.
The White House has confirmed that the president was not injured and blamed the stumble on it being a windy day.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had previously brushed aside Putin’s “open” discussion request as she revealed on Thursday that Biden had no regrets about sparking the recent rise in US-Russian tensions.
She claimed that the president is “quite busy” and that Biden had only recently spoken to Putin as part of his calls to world leaders after his inauguration.
Biden’s administration remained defiant that the US president had not gone too far when he said in interview with ABC on Wednesday that Putin is a “killer” and has no soul.
Biden also mentioned that Putin would be held accountable after the US national intelligence director’s office released a report finding that he authorized influence operations to help Trump’s 2020 reelection bid.
Russia had immediately demanded an apology and recalled its ambassador from Washington D.C.
A senior Russian lawmaker also claimed there would be retaliation if no apology came.
Putin personally responded by goading Biden with the line “it takes one to know one,” referencing the US’s history of slavery, the slaughter of Native Americans, and its bombing of Japan in World War II.
The Russian leader added that there were “a lot of honest and decent people in the U.S. want to have peace and friendship with Russia.”
He claimed that despite the anger over Biden’s words, Russia is still willing to cooperate with the US when it suits the nation’s interests.
Putin had enjoyed a more agreeable relationship with the US under Donald Trump’s administration but Biden has vowed to bring an end to the perceived soft treatment of the Russian President.
On Wednesday, Psaki said that despite the backlash over the “killer” remark, Biden’s administration will continue to work with Russia on efforts to stem Iran’s mucleur program.
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“The president is not going to hold back, clearly, when he has concerns, whether it is with words or actions,” she said.
“We are confident that we can continue to look for ways where there’s a mutual interest – mutual national interest.”
Calls between heads of state are generally held behind closed doors but Putin was also involved in the last exception to the rule last June with French President Emmanuel Macron.