Russian leader Vladimir Putin directly challenged President Biden to a “live talk” after the American leader called him a “killer” this week.
Putin spoke to Russian state television and said he would like to have the talk as soon as Friday. “I want to request to President Biden to keep our discussion going, but with the condition that it is done live. Directly in an open way. It seems like it would be of interest for the citizens of the U.S. and Russia.”
https://twitter.com/27khv/status/1372593962507243521
The terms of President Putin’s offer seem like a debate, but interest was not two-sided. When asked about the debate, Jen Psaki, Biden’s press secretary, said “I’ll have to get back to you on that. I would say President Biden has already had a discussion with President Putin.”
Tensions between Washington, D.C. and Moscow are increasing after Biden labeled Putin a “killer” with “no soul” during an ABC interview. The attack caused Russia to withdraw its ambassador. President Biden claims he told Putin to his face that he does not “have a soul.”
Putin responded by wishing President Biden “good health.” He claimed he meant that “not as a joke and without irony.”
Responding to the “killer” comment, Putin said, “it takes one to know one.” Konstantin Kosachyov, deputy chairman of the Russia’s upper house, said they want an apology for the remarks. “This comment was made by the president of the U.S. that bombs someplace on the globe every 12 minutes,” Kosachyov stated.
The week started with the Office of the DNI issuing a report that Russia and Iran tried to interfere with the 2020 election. Thursday, the Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed to sanction companies connected to Russia’s Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, which would bring natural gas from Russia to the EU.