a timeline:
hard line
Shortly after taking office earlier this year, Biden delivered a difficult speech, dismissing his predecessor Donald Trump’s tacit approach to Moscow and Putin, which Trump had praised.
“I have made it clear to President Putin that America’s days are over because of Russia’s aggressive actions, meddling in our elections, cyber attacks and poisoning our citizens,” Biden said in February.
The Kremlin called it Biden’s “very aggressive and unstructured rhetoric.”
‘killer’
In an interview in March, Biden says Putin will “pay the price” for trying to downplay his candidacy in the US 2020 election.
Asked if he thought Putin was a “killer,” Biden replied, “I do.”
The comments sparked the biggest crisis in years between Russia and the US, with Moscow recalling its ambassador and warning that relations were on the verge of a complete “collapse”.
Putin also mocked Biden, saying, “It takes one to get to know someone.”
‘Time to de-escalate’
A bid to defuse tensions comes in April when Biden says “now is the time to ease up” after announcing sanctions against Russia.
During a phone call, Biden says he was “clear with President Putin that we could go further” but says Washington is “not looking to break the cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia”. .
He proposed a summit to discuss the Russian saber-rattling on Ukraine, the treatment of jailed Putin rival Alexei Navalny, and other flashpoints.
no illusions
Ahead of his summit in Geneva on June 16, Biden did not give up, saying the US would push the Kremlin over its human rights record.
On the eve of the summit, Biden called Putin a “tough” and “a worthy adversary.”
Let us tell you that even after three and a half hours of conversation, both the people do not hold a joint press conference.
However, they agree to return ambassadors to each other’s capitals.
Putin said he felt “no animosity”, while Biden agreed the talks were “constructive”.
cyber attack
A Russia-based hacker group has been blamed for a massive ransomware attack in late June that affected nearly 1,500 businesses.
It is taken offline days after Biden called on Putin to act.
Russia has apparently not been invited to the 30-nation anti-cybercrime summit in Washington in October.
‘Her tundra is burning’
Biden accused Putin of not attending the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in October.
Biden said, “His tundra is burning – literally … he has serious, serious climate problems, and he is silent on his desire to do anything.”
Ukraine standoff
Tensions escalated in late November as Ukraine claims Russia is adding 100,000 troops to its border.
Putin denied Russia’s plan to invade Ukraine, but said he wanted the US to promise Ukraine would never join NATO.
In a two-hour virtual summit on December 7, Biden warned Putin of “strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation” in Ukraine. Putin demanded a guarantee of a halt to the expansion of NATO.
On 17 December, Russia revealed proposals to engage the US and NATO in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, calling for immediate dialogue with Washington. The US says it is ready to negotiate with the European Union.
On 21 December, Putin warned that Russia was ready to take “military-technical measures” in response to “unfriendly” Western actions on Ukraine’s conflict.
On the 28th, the US condemns the closure of Memorial International by the Supreme Court of Russia, a leading rights group.
On Thursday, Biden and Putin will speak by telephone, setting the tone for US-Russia security talks on January 10, 2022.
A US official says Biden will offer his Russian counterpart a diplomatic route on the Ukraine crisis, while Putin says he is “convinced” that “effective talks” between Moscow and Washington are possible.
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