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Russia’s Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he wishes President Biden "health, and I say that without any irony or joking," this after the American leader described him as a killer in an interview earlier this week.
Biden, in the segment that aired Wednesday on ABC News, also vowed that Putin will "pay a price" following the release of a U.S. intelligence report that found Moscow sought to influence public opinion against him on the 2020 campaign trail.
"I would tell him: ‘Be well.’ I wish him health, and I say that without any irony or joking," Putin said Thursday when asked to respond to Biden’s comments -- which have prompted Russia to recall its ambassador in Washington for consultations.
President Biden said "I do" when asked earlier this week if he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin is a killer. (Getty Images)
Putin was asked for his thoughts during a video call marking the anniversary of Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, and he claimed Biden's description of him as a killer reflected the United States’ own problems.
He pointed at the U.S. atomic bombing of Japan during World War II, as well as its history of slavery and slaughtering Native Americans, noting the painful legacies weighing on the United States.
"Otherwise, where would the Black Lives Matter movement come from?" Putin said, citing racial injustice and police brutality.
Putin also claimed the U.S. establishment likes to air accusations against other countries as part of its efforts to "solve domestic and foreign policy problems."
He said Russia would still cooperate with the U.S. where and when it supports Moscow’s interests, noting that "a lot of honest and decent people in the U.S want to have peace and friendship with Russia."
"But we know how to defend our own interests, and we will work with them only in the areas we are interested in and on conditions we see as beneficiary to ourselves," he continued. "And they will have to reckon with it."
Putin, in the wake of Biden's comments, says Russia knows "how to defend our own interests". (Reuters)
RUSSIA WANTS US TO APOLOGIZE OVER BIDEN’S COMMENTS
Other Russian officials and lawmakers were less diplomatic. Andrei Turchak, the leader of the main pro-Kremlin United Russia party, described Biden’s remarks as a reflection of "the U.S. political marasmus and its leader’s dementia."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov deplored what he called "very bad remarks by the U.S. president" that made it clear that "he doesn't want to normalize relations."
"We will proceed accordingly," Peskov said during a conference call with reporters, noting that "there was nothing like that in history."
Konstantin Kosachev, a deputy speaker of the Russian parliament's upper house, said Biden’s "boorish statement" marks a watershed moment in Washington's relations with Moscow.
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"Such assessments are inadmissible for a statesman of his rank," Kosachev said. "Such statements are unacceptable under any circumstances. They inevitably lead to a sharp exacerbation of our bilateral ties."
Kosachev warned that Russia’s response wouldn’t be limited to recalling its ambassador "if the American side fails to offer explanation and excuse." He wouldn’t elaborate on what else the Kremlin might do.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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