WASHINGTON – In a briefing with reporters on Tuesday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that President Biden will speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Psaki said the call was scheduled at the same time as her briefing and that some of the president’s plans for the talks were being described, drawing attention to “worrying issues” stemming from Kremlin policy.
Among the issues on the agenda were arms control and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Biden “called this afternoon … President Putin with the intention of discussing our willingness to extend New BEGINNING for five years and also to reaffirm our strong support for the sovereignty of Ukraine despite … Russia’s continuous aggression, ”Psaki said.
New START is a treaty for the reduction of nuclear weapons that will expire next month. Russia annexed the Ukrainian territory of Crimea in 2014, which led to a sharp deterioration in relations between Moscow and Washington. Other issues discussed included ‘the SolarWinds cap, reports on Russia deploying foreign troops in Afghanistan, interference in the 2020 election, the poisoning of Alexei Navalny and the treatment of peaceful protesters by Russian security forces.’
In December, it was revealed that SolarWinds, a major provider of information technology working with U.S. companies and government agencies, was the victim of a major hack, which was redirected to Russian intelligence. Last June, reports surfaced that Russia had paid Afghan militants to attack US troops in the country. Russian intelligence has also been linked to attempts to interfere in recent US elections.
Navalny, a leader of the opposition to Putin, was poisoned by a nerve agent in August and investigators blamed the country’s intelligence agencies. After recovering from the poisoning in Germany, Navalny returned to Russia on January 17 and was sent to prison. His detention has sparked widespread protests in Russia.
Psaki said Biden raised these issues to make it clear to Putin that the US would not accept Russian aggression.
“His intention was also to make it clear that the United States will certainly act to protect our national interests in response to malicious actions by Russia,” Psaki said.
The call came just six days after Biden took office and was a stark contrast to the attitude of his predecessor, Donald Trump. While the Trump administration went along with the congressional sanctions on Russia, Trump was criticized for not doing more to criticize Putin in public. The Trump administration has claimed there were ‘differences of opinion’ over the alleged Russian plight in Afghanistan, and the former president has repeatedly denied US intelligence intelligence that the Kremlin intervened on his behalf in the 2016 election.
At an unrelated White House event shortly after Psaki’s briefing, Biden was asked about Fox Call, a Fox News correspondent, about his call to Putin.
“What did you talk to Putin about?” Ask Doocy.
“You,” Biden said, adding, “He sends his best.”
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