Biden says the United States will not hesitate to raise the cost of Russia

President Joe Biden warned in Moscow on Thursday that the United States will not hesitate to raise the cost of Russia and defend American interests in its first major foreign policy speech since taking office.

“I made it very clear to President Putin in a very different way from that of my predecessor that the days of the United States flying over Russian aggressive actions, interfering with our elections, cyber attacks, poisoning its citizens, are over,” said Biden said.

“We will not hesitate to increase the cost of Russia and defend our vital interests and our people, and we will be more effective in dealing with Russia when we work in coalition and coordination with other like-minded partners,” the president said.

Biden demanded the release of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who was arrested last month in Moscow and sentenced to more than two years in prison. Navalny was poisoned last year and spent months recovering in Germany. He blames the Kremlin for his poisoning.

“Mr. Navalny, like all Russian citizens, is entitled to his rights under the Russian constitution,” Biden said. “He has been singled out for exposing corruption and must be released immediately and unconditionally.”

Navalny’s arrest has sparked mass protests across Russia over the past two weekends. Thousands of protesters have been arrested by Russian police.

“Russia’s efforts to suppress freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are a matter of deep concern to us and to the international community,” Biden said.

The Biden administration is facing growing pressure to impose sanctions on Russia for Navalny poisoning. The United Kingdom and the European Union imposed sanctions last year.

The White House is reviewing other Russia-related issues, including SolarWinds piracy, reports of rewards put by Russia on U.S. forces in Afghanistan and possible electoral interference, and will determine its response based on its results.