They aren’t playing around.
On Monday (March 21), Russia summoned the U.S. ambassador to Moscow to receive a formal letter of protest regarding Biden’s “recent unacceptable statements.”
The statement, released by the Russian Military of Foreign Affairs, warned that U.S.-Russia relations were on the verge of being severed completely because of Biden’s recent comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the steps taken to punish Russia for invading Ukraine.
An English translation of the statement revealed that Russia was of the view that Biden’s comments about Putin are “unworthy of a statesman of such a high rank” and “put Russian-American relations on the verge of breaking.”
The statement also emphasized that Russia would firmly rebuff any hostile action taken against it.
The comments that have drawn the ire of Russia include Biden calling Putin a “thug,” “murderous dictator,” and a “war criminal” because of the unprovoked attack on Ukraine that has killed countless civilians and is on the precipice of entering its fifth week.
The statement also revealed John Sullivan, the U.S. ambassador to Moscow, was given a formal letter of protest from Russia.
Later on Monday, State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed that Sullivan had a meeting with Russian officials but indicated that he “took advantage” of the opportunity to “demand” Russia follow international law.
In a press briefing, following reports of Sullivan’s meeting with Russia, Price confirmed saying: “Ambassador Sullivan took advantage of this encounter to demand that the Russian government follow international law, and basic human decency for that matter, and allow consular access to all U.S. citizen detainees in Russia, including those in pretrial detention.”
