The Kremlin was undoubtedly furious over Wednesday’s interview with President Joe Biden with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. In contrast to former President Donald Trump’s absolute refusal to condemn the Russian leader for any of his actions, when asked by Biden if he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was a “murderer,” he replied succinctly, “Mmm -hmm, yes. “
On Thursday, Putin appeared bewildered and irritated as he personally addressed Biden’s statements during a video call with residents of Crimea on the occasion of the anniversary of his annexation to Ukraine by Russia in 2014.
Looking angrily at the camera lens, Putin forced a smile and said of Biden, “I wish him good health.” The charged response could be read as an implicit threat, but it is likely to refer to the Kremlin-controlled state media’s ongoing efforts to portray the American president as an unfortunate old man suffering from dementia.
To achieve this desired impression, Russian state media often airs clips of Fox News ’Tucker Carlson assaulting the mental abilities of the American leader. The campaign to portray President Biden as mentally inadequate began long before he was elected, and on this front — and on many others — Russian propaganda narratives combined perfectly with those of Fox News.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday that “there has been nothing like it in history” and called the U.S. president’s statements “very bad.”
The same day the ABC interview aired, Russia recalled its US ambassador, Anatoly Antonov, “for consultations” on relations with the United States. Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said relations between Moscow and Washington “have gone through difficult times,” accusing the United States of having taken them “to a dead end.”
Putin did not even bother to deny Biden’s “murder” accusation during his appearance on Russian state television on Thursday. Instead, the Russian president replied with a comment that roughly translates to “You need to know one.”
In fact, there is little doubt that Putin will take responsibility for the bloodshed abroad; in Ukraine, Georgia and Syria, and against their own citizens living in foreign lands. Putin was accused of ordering the attempted assassination of his most effective and efficient domestic rival, Alexei Navalny, by a nervous-minded Novichok military-level agent last year. The Putin government has also been linked to the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in 2018 in England and the shooting of a former Chechen separatist commander in Berlin in 2019. It should be noted that in 2006, Putin signed a law that legalizes killings targeting “extremists.” Abroad This Wednesday, the United States imposed additional sanctions on Russia for the use of chemical weapons against dissidents.
Most Russian lawmakers, experts and state media experts did not even try to argue against President Putin’s perception of Biden as a “murderer.” They simply withdrew in the face of the unthinkable idea of openly criticizing Putin, which is not only taboo in the Fatherland, but dangerous. “You can think what you want, don’t say it out loud,” argued politician Sergey Stankevich The afternoon with Vladimir Soloviev.
Vladimir Soloviev, the presenter of the program, harshly assumed the meaning of the statements of the President of the United States: “This is a statement of the New Cold War. Of course, we will respond and respond very harshly.
“He let it go because he is an old person. Maybe he doesn’t realize that the American president shouldn’t say such things out loud, “suggested Russian lawmaker Oleg Morozov. Karen Shakhnazarov, a prominent Russian state television news expert, argued against the propaganda troops on Biden’s alleged mental illness. “He’s an experienced old wolf,” Shakhnazarov said, “he understands exactly what he’s saying … there should be a harsh answer.”
“This is a scandalous statement,” said Konstantin Zatulin, a member of the lower house of the Russian parliament. “We should not defend it. At the very least, Biden should be removed from all relations.”
Russian state media experts, many of whom openly miss Biden’s predecessor, rushed over Trump to find the “right words” when former Fox News presenter Bill O’Reilly ask if Putin is a murderer. Instead of a direct answer, Trump answered O’Reilly with another question, asking, “Do you think our country is so innocent?”
The host of the Russian state television program 60 minutes, Evgeni Popov, recalled that the former president referred to Vladimir Putin as “a great boy.” Popov was bitterly amazed: “An amazing transformation, from ‘big boy’ to ‘killer’ in such a short time!”
With Biden at the helm, Russian lawmakers and speakers appeared faced with the exact measures that could be taken against the United States. There was universal agreement that the answer would be nonlinear, asymmetric, and decidedly gross. Experts proposed a variety of measures, from infrequent tactics to undermining American vaccines, to impeding the functions of American businessmen operating in Russia, to leaving cooperation in space and interfering. in U.S. relations with Iran and China.
It appears in Russia 60 minutes, Alexei Timofeev, political commentator for the state media Sputnik, suggested “releasing the compromise” against Biden. Timofeev argued that after Biden’s comments about Putin, U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation John Sullivan “should have holes in the knees of his pants,” apologizing to the Kremlin.
“Revenge is a dish that is best served cold,” threatened Igor Korotchenko, a member of the public advisory board of the Ministry of Defense. During its appearance in 60 minutes, Korotchenko proposed to radically increase the number of spies living in the United States. Angry, he stated: “We have to grab them by the udders and get access to any information whenever we need it. That will be the best answer. “
“They crossed the red line,” said Dmitry Abzalov, director of the Center for Strategic Communications 60 minutes. The show’s host, Evgeny Popov, ominously predicted, “The world will never be the same.”