FILE PHOTO: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden during their meeting in Moscow March 10, 2011. REUTERS/Alexander Natruskin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS)/File Photo

By Andrew Osborn and Tom Balmforth

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he and U.S. President Joe Biden should hold live online talks in coming days after Biden said he thought the Russian leader was a killer and diplomatic ties sank to a new post-Cold War low.

Putin, speaking on television, cited a Russian children's playground chant to scathingly respond to Biden's accusation with the comment that "he who said it, did it.”

In an ABC News interview broadcast on Wednesday that prompted Russia to recall its Washington ambassador for consultations, Biden said "I do" when asked if he believed Putin was a killer.

Biden was quick to extend a nuclear arms pact with Russia after he took office. But his administration has said it will take a tougher line with Moscow than Washington did during Donald Trump's term in office, and engage only when there is a tangible benefit for the United States.

U.S. President Joe Biden does not regret calling Russian leader Vladimir Putin a killer during a national television interview this week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday. Putin on Thursday responded that it takes one to know one. Lisa Bernhard produced this report.

Putin said he had last spoken to Biden by phone at the U.S. president's request and that he now proposed they had another conversation, on Friday or Monday, to be held by video-link and broadcast live.

"I want to offer President Biden that we continue our discussion, but on the condition that we do it live, online, without any delays," Putin said, when asked in a television interview about Biden's comments. The two leaders last spoke by telephone on Jan. 26 days after Biden took office.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Thursday said Biden had no regrets about calling Putin a killer and swatted away a question about Putin's request for an immediate call in public.

"I would say the president already had a conversation with President Putin, even as there are more world leaders that he has not yet engaged with," Psaki said. "The president will of course be in Georgia tomorrow and quite busy."

Putin said he was ready to discuss Russia's relations with the United States and other issues such as regional conflicts "tomorrow or, say, on Monday," adding that he would be having a weekend break in a remote part of Russia.

'WE ARE DIFFERENT'

In his ABC comments, Biden also described Putin as having no soul, and said he would pay a price for alleged Russian meddling in the November 2020 U.S. presidential election, something the Kremlin denies.

Russia is preparing to be hit by a new round of U.S. sanctions in the coming days over the U.S. allegations of election interference and hacking.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that Washington was tracking efforts to complete Russia's Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline and evaluating information on entities that appear to be involved.

In a highly unusual move following Biden's interview, Moscow recalled its ambassador to the United States for consultations.

Suggesting Biden was hypocritical in his remarks, Putin said that every state had to contend with "bloody events" and added Biden was accusing the Russian leader of something he was guilty of himself.

"I remember in my childhood, when we argued in the courtyard with each other we used to say: he who said it, did it. And that's not a coincidence, not just a children's saying or joke. The psychological meaning here is very deep," Putin said.

"We always see our own traits in other people and think they are like how we really are. And as a result we assess (a person's) activities and give assessments," he said.

Putin then spoke about U.S. history, talking about what he called the genocide of Native Americans, slavery and the ill treatment of Black people, and the U.S. dropping atomic bombs on Japan at the end of World War Two.

"They think that we are like them, but we are different, we have a different genetic and cultural-moral code," said Putin.

"We will work with them in the areas in which we are interested on terms that we consider advantageous to ourselves. They will have to deal with that regardless of all their attempts to stop us developing, regardless of the sanctions, and regardless of the insults".

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn, Tom Balmforth, Anton Kolodyazhnyy, Dmitry Antonov, Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Frances Kerry and Grant McCool)

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-03-19

 

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Biden talks with Putin live broadcast, that would be really funny,

but the US administration could never allow that.

1 hour ago, talahtnut said:

Biden talks with Putin live broadcast, that would be really funny,

but the US administration could never allow that.

Another words the administration isent stupid enough to take the bait I’m sure any response will be well thought out measured careful factual and to the point and btw Putin is a thug and killer he is what he is 

18 minutes ago, Tug said:

Another words the administration isent stupid enough to take the bait I’m sure any response will be well thought out measured careful factual and to the point and btw Putin is a thug and killer he is what he is 

Publicly calling Putin a killer was a well thought out statement. That's exactly why joe is not allowed to take random questions.

1 hour ago, talahtnut said:

Biden talks with Putin live broadcast, that would be really funny,

but the US administration could never allow that.

Why would they give Putin such an opportunity?  Not worth it.

We now have a leader that stands up to dictators like Putin.  Rather than praise them.  What a breath of fresh air.

Putin's a killer.  No denying that.

29 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Publicly calling Putin a killer was a well thought out statement. That's exactly why joe is not allowed to take random questions.

It's got nothing to do with him taking random questions.  I guess you missed the presidential debates.  And only watch Fox News.  Figures.

Impossible to deny what Biden said.

48 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Publicly calling Putin a killer was a well thought out statement. That's exactly why joe is not allowed to take random questions.

Ahhh noooo Putin is a thug and killer he’s just speaking the truth no more degenerating our institutions selling out to a hostile foreign power for personal gain nope those days are over Putin will have to rely on useful idiots in the house and congress to do his bidding Joe Biden won’t 

55 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Publicly calling Putin a killer was a well thought out statement. That's exactly why joe is not allowed to take random questions.

It makes a change from a US President defending Putin.

1 minute ago, Tug said:

Ahhh noooo Putin is a thug and killer he’s just speaking the truth no more degenerating our institutions selling out to a hostile foreign power for personal gain nope those days are over Putin will have to rely on useful idiots in the house and congress to do his bidding Joe Biden won’t 

The truth is virtuous, just not always a smart move.

It’s odd.

Americans backing Putin’s call for a televised meeting with President Biden, who happen to be the same Americans who had no problem with Trump, destroying/hiding records of his conversations with Putin.

And doubtless all are ‘patriots’.

 

6 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

The truth is virtuous, just not always a smart move.

Bowing to murderous thugs running nations has never proved to be a smart move.

Let’s have some of that straight talking that was all the rage until January, though let’s direct it at America’s enemies rather than at the weak and the poor.

Putin is a ' killer ' ... What is the exact definition of being a killer in this case ?

Somebody who killed another person with his own hands , ( or a gun , knife etc . ) is a killer . Ok .

Somebody in a position to give orders that lead to the death or killing of other people is a killer , too ?

In this case , most presidents of countries involved in wars or armed conflicts , would be killers themselves .

6 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

Putin is a ' killer ' ... What is the exact definition of being a killer in this case ?

Somebody who killed another person with his own hands , ( or a gun , knife etc . ) is a killer . Ok .

Somebody in a position to give orders that lead to the death or killing of other people is a killer , too ?

In this case , most presidents of countries involved in wars or armed conflicts , would be killers themselves .

I think in this case what's being referred to is assassinations of people who Putin feels pose a political threat to himself whether it's would-be politicians, ex-officials in exile, or journalists.

1 minute ago, placeholder said:

I think in this case what's being referred to is assassinations of people who Putin feels pose a political threat to himself whether it's would-be politicians, ex-officials in exile, or journalists.

You are right .

But I think that is quite common practice in a lot of countries .

Sadly ...

14 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

Putin is a ' killer ' ... What is the exact definition of being a killer in this case ?

Somebody who killed another person with his own hands , ( or a gun , knife etc . ) is a killer . Ok .

Somebody in a position to give orders that lead to the death or killing of other people is a killer , too ?

In this case , most presidents of countries involved in wars or armed conflicts , would be killers themselves .

100% agreed.  But most do not assassinate political rivals, journalists, and political dissidents in foreign countries.  Putin is the king when it comes to this.  A true killer.

11 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

But most do not assassinate political rivals, journalists, and political dissidents in foreign countries.

Israel and Saudi Arabia ?

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Suggesting Biden was hypocritical in his remarks, Putin said that every state had to contend with "bloody events" and added Biden was accusing the Russian leader of something he was guilty of himself.

"I remember in my childhood, when we argued in the courtyard with each other we used to say: he who said it, did it. And that's not a coincidence, not just a children's saying or joke. The psychological meaning here is very deep," Putin said.

"We always see our own traits in other people and think they are like how we really are. And as a result we assess (a person's) activities and give assessments," he said.

Putin has a black belt in this classic KGB deflection technique

Didn't realize how diminutive putin was? Explains a lot I guess.

 

He'll be remembered poorly by history: poison underwear.

 

Bring on more sanctions.

23 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

Israel and Saudi Arabia ?

I said most...LOL.  Spot on though. 

11 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

Putin has a black belt in this classic KGB deflection technique

Russians are the experts on propaganda.  Been using it for at least 100 years.  They're masters at it.

2 hours ago, Tug said:

Ahhh noooo Putin is a thug and killer he’s just speaking the truth no more degenerating our institutions selling out to a hostile foreign power for personal gain nope those days are over Putin will have to rely on useful idiots in the house and congress to do his bidding Joe Biden won’t 

True, Joe isn't much use. Take Vlad behind the gym, Joe! 

1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said:

Russians are the experts on propaganda.  Been using it for at least 100 years.  They're masters at it.

maskirovka

58 minutes ago, nauseus said:

True, Joe isn't much use. Take Vlad behind the gym, Joe! 

Why isn't Joe much use?  What's the gym got to do with it?

2 hours ago, placeholder said:

I think in this case what's being referred to is assassinations of people who Putin feels pose a political threat to himself whether it's would-be politicians, ex-officials in exile, or journalists.

Example, please. Are you talking about fake poisoning of the Navalniy? At any case he is just blogger who produces low quality videos and has 3% rating on the peak.  Do you think a person with 3% rating and blowing western money may pose a threat?

9 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

who had no problem with Trump, destroying/hiding records of his conversations with Putin.

And now your just pulling things out of thin air.

u no understand, Putin is not a killer! all those journalists, critics and oppositionists were killed by other people, not by Putin himself!

1 hour ago, nauseus said:

True, Joe isn't much use. Take Vlad behind the gym, Joe! 

Given the affection that Trump unashamedly displayed for Putin, were he to take Putin behind the gym, most likely it would be for an entirely different sort of activity. 

5 hours ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

And now your just pulling things out of thin air.

I’ll remain in the fact based universe if you don’t mind:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/01/13/trump-putin-meetings-interpreter-notes/2565471002/

2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Russians are the experts on propaganda.  Been using it for at least 100 years.  They're masters at it.

Name a country that isn't.

12 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Name a country that isn't.

Understood.  But Russia is the king of propaganda.  No denying that.  Do some research on the history of propaganda in Russia.  Pretty amazing reading.