Following President Biden’s suggestion to ABC News that Vladimir Putin is a killer without a soul, Putin has begun questioning Biden’s mental faculties.
Asked on Thursday for his response to Biden’s criticism, Putin looked into the camera, smiled wryly, and remarked, “Be healthy. I wish him good health. I say it without irony or as a joke.” The Russian leader then launched into an anti-American rant about how the United States is built on the back of slavery and the slaughter of Native American tribes. Russia is not the same as America, Putin said, but has a “different genetic, cultural, and moral code.”
This is how Putin and his inner circle view the U.S., not as the prospective partner they publicly claim, but as their main and eternal adversary. Later on Thursday, Putin gave another hint as to the mental faculty interest behind his Biden comments. “I want to invite President Biden to continue our discussions, but on the condition that we do this actually live, online, but without any delay, but right in an open, direct discussion.” Putin continued, “It seems to me that it would be interesting for the people of Russia, and for the people of the United States, and for many other countries …” Putin has clearly noticed the White House’s careful management of Biden’s press interactions. He evidently believes the American president would slip up in any live interaction.
This is pure KGB game playing.
It’s a line of attack that is designed to match Russian dark humor alongside escalation-laden threats. Putin is well aware as to how his words will be perceived in the White House and by the Russia-hands of the U.S. national security establishment. Leaving no doubt as to the mental-faculties focus, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev echoed his boss’s sentiment. Medvedev told RIA Novosti that he had previously met “Joe Biden at various international events. He gave the impression of being reasonable then. But apparently time hasn’t been kind to him.”
Expect more Russian agitation toward the questioning of Biden’s mental health. It’s a preferable strategy for the Kremlin in three specific ways. First, it allows for a personal riposte to Biden’s attack on Putin’s character. This is important for Putin’s domestic propaganda as much as it is for his own interest in rebuking Biden. Second, it plays to concerns in other governments that Biden is, perhaps, not as sharp as he once was. That is relevant in terms of the trust and confidence foundation, which ultimately underpins the U.S.-led liberal international order.
Third, it offers a nice accoutrement to Putin’s narrative that America is an archaic, weak, and corrupt nation built on shaky foundations.
Watch for the Kremlin propaganda machine to double down on questioning Biden’s mental health.
