Moscow has warned that relations with the US are ‘on the verge of a breakdown,’ and has summoned the US ambassador to officially protest President Joe Biden’s description of Vladimir Putin as a’murderous dictator.’
A Russian Foreign Ministry statement on Monday referred to Biden’s “recent unacceptable statements” about Putin, referring to Biden’s criticism of the Russian president for his invasion of Ukraine last week.
The Russian government met with US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan and stated that’remarks such as these by the American President, which are unworthy of a state figure of such a high rank, put Russian-American relations on the verge of a breach.’
Last week, Biden called Putin a “murderous dictator, a thug waging an immoral war against the people of Ukraine.”
He had previously referred to Putin as a “war criminal,” which Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described as “absolutely unacceptable and inexcusable.”
Later this week, Biden will travel to Brussels for a special NATO meeting on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He will also stop in Poland to meet with President Andrzej Duda.
It’s part of a major diplomatic push by Biden to keep allies on track with their financial sanctions, which are crippling Russia’s economy as its invasion of Ukraine comes to a halt.
Biden spent nearly an hour Monday morning speaking with Western allies – President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom – ahead of his trip.
The summons was a sign that relations between Washington and Moscow are deteriorating as the Kremlin continues its invasion of Ukraine and the United States and its western allies tighten the economic noose around Russia in response.
The five men will also attend an emergency NATO summit on Ukraine and a G7 meeting in Brussels on Thursday. He will also attend a European Council meeting to discuss Ukraine, ‘including transatlantic efforts to impose economic costs on Russia, provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the violence, and address other challenges related to the conflict,’ according to the White House.
Poland will propose a plan to organise an international peacekeeping mission in Ukraine at the NATO meeting. Poland has taken in the most Ukrainian refugees, with 3.2 million fleeing the war-torn country.
However, the US has rejected the idea of peacekeeping, stating that President Biden will stick to his pledge not to put US troops on the ground in Ukraine.
Biden, too, will not go there.
There are no plans for the president to visit Ukraine during this week’s trip, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
‘The trip will be focused on rallying the world in support of the Ukrainian people and against President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,’ she said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian officials are talking, but no progress has been made toward a cease-fire.
Officials in the United States have questioned Russia’s intentions in the talks.
‘The negotiations appear one-sided, and the Russians have not leaned into any possibility of a negotiated and diplomatic solution,’ said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States’ ambassador to the UN, on CNN on Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered to meet with Putin, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says more progress in the talks must be made first.
According to Peskov, “in order to talk about a meeting of the two presidents, first it’s necessary to do the homework, hold talks, and agree on the results.”
He goes on to say that “so far significant movement has not been achieved” in the talks, and that “there are no agreements which they could commit to” at a joint meeting.
Delegations from Ukraine and Russia have held several rounds of talks, both in person and more recently via video link.
[embedpost slug=” a-petition-to-expel-putins-girlfriend-alina-kabaeva-gains-traction/”]
