President Joe Biden referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “crazy SOB” on Wednesday, which incurred a strong response from the Kremlin.
The two leaders often engage in tough rhetoric toward one another, though these comments come in the aftermath of the death of Alexei Navalny, Putin’s main opposition leader in Russia. Biden argued last week that Putin was responsible for Navalny’s death, while the United States is set to unveil new sanctions against Russia on Friday.
“We have a crazy SOB like Putin and others, and we always have to worry about nuclear conflict, but the existential threat to humanity is climate,” Biden said at a fundraiser on Wednesday in San Francisco, California.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Biden of “demonstrating Hollywood cowboy behavior,” according to Tass, Russian state media.
“Such boorish statements from the mouth of a U.S. leader are hardly capable of hurting the head of another country in any way, much less President Putin. But it is a great shame for the country itself,” Peskov said, adding, “It is clear that Mr. Biden is demonstrating Hollywood cowboy behavior to cater to domestic political interests.”
Russian prison services reported that Navalny died in a jail located near the Arctic Circle, where he had been sentenced to work at a penal colony for 19 years.
In 2021, Biden warned that if Navalny were to die while in a Russian prison, which is what occurred, there would be “devastating” consequences for Russia.
Navalny’s death and Biden’s comments come ahead of this weekend’s second anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukraine has largely defended its territory over the course of the war, though Russia has gained some momentum in recent weeks as Kyiv has begun to feel the impacts of the stoppage of U.S. military support.
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