Topline
President Joe Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday for the first time since his inauguration and raised a number of key areas of conflict between the U.S. and Russia, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, in a change from the Trump administration’s conciliatory approach to the Russian leader.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 25: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks after signing an executive order … [+] related to American manufacturing in the South Court Auditorium of the White House complex on January 25, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden signed an executive order aimed at boosting American manufacturing and strengthening the federal governments Buy American rules. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Psaki said in a briefing that Biden called Putin in the afternoon – after the briefing began – and that the White House plans to release more details later on Tuesday.
According to Psaki, Biden brought up long-standing issues between the two nations such as Ukrainian sovereignty, Russian interference in U.S. elections and the Kremlin’s harsh treatment of opposition leaders and protesters.
“His intention was to make clear the U.S. will act firmly in defense of our national interests in response to malign actions by Russia,” she added.
The call is the latest signal that Biden’s treatment towards Russia will be diametrically opposite to that of former President Trump – who received bipartisan criticism for his handling of the alleged Russian bounties and the SolarWinds hack.
Key Background
Russia was a sore spot for Trump throughout his presidency. He was accused of being far too friendly with Putin, having publicly solicited Russia to hack his opponent’s emails during the 2016 campaign and deferred to the Russian leader at the Helsinki conference in 2018.
Crucial Quote
The State Department responded sharply to Russia’s detention of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and to a harsh crackdown on pro-Navalny protesters on Saturday, calling out “years of tightening restrictions on and repressive actions against civil society, independent media, and the political opposition” in a statement, which called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of Navalny and his supporters.
Chief Critic
Prior to Biden’s inauguration, Top Kremlin officials expressed pessimism about their ability to work with the new administration. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the Russian government anticipates “nothing positive” from Biden, while deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said “we are not expecting anything good,” claiming Biden and his team have “made their careers on Russophobia.”
Tangent
According to a readout of the call from the Kremlin, Putin encouraged the “normalization” of relations between the two countries and the two leaders discussed potential cooperation on coronavirus and other areas.
What To Watch For
Biden and Putin “agreed to maintain transparent and consistent communication going forward,” according to a readout of the call from the White House.
