The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the United States rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to conduct a brief call with President Biden after he called the Russian leader a “killer.”
“One more opportunity has been missed to find a way out of the deadlock in Russian-U.S. relations created through the fault of Washington,” the ministry said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press, adding that “responsibility for this lies entirely with the United States.”
When asked last Wednesday whether Biden thought Putin was a killer, the president replied, “I do.”
PUTIN CHALLENGES BIDEN TO ON-AIR DEBATE AFTER BIDEN CALLS HIM A ‘KILLER’
Furious over the president’s remark, the Kremlin offered Biden a chance to speak with Putin on a phone call open to the public, with Putin suggesting the conversation as a type of on-air debate.
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the call offer was intended to prevent Biden’s statement from causing irreparable damage to the already loosening ties between Russia and the U.S.
In response, the White House said it has no plans to hold a future meeting with Putin and that Biden is “quite busy.”
When asked by reporters on Friday whether he would accept Putin’s call offer, Biden said, “I’m sure we’ll talk at some point.”
Before Biden declined Putin’s offer, the Russian leader hit back at the president’s “killer” remark, saying, “It takes one to know one,” pointing to slavery and nuclear weapons use in U.S. history.
Biden has started his presidency with a tough stance against Putin, saying the U.S. will not be “rolling over” for Russia. His handling of the Kremlin marks a contrast from the Trump administration’s perspective of Russia, which largely avoided confrontation with the country and occasionally spoke of Putin with some approval.
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The Biden administration also warned this month that Russia would face sanctions over its attempt to influence the U.S. election and the recent massive SolarWinds hacks.
The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Kremlin did not immediately reply to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comment.
