Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20210319

A30 world news
Diabierna 19 Maart 2021

Putin cites ills in US society after Biden’s killer remark

our constant striving for chological meaning: We see curity Council who served
progress and there’s always our own qualities in another as president in 2008-2012
more work to do,” she said. person, we think he’s like us when Putin had to shift into
Putin in his remarks pointed and judge him accordingly,” the premier’s job because of
at the U.S. atomic bombing he added. term limits, said that “time
of Japan during World War II, He noted that Russia would hasn’t spared” the 78-year-
as well as its history of slav- still cooperate with the Unit- old Biden and cited Sigmund
ery and slaughtering Native ed States where and when it Freud as saying, “Nothing
Americans, noting the pain- supports Moscow’s interests, costs so much in life as illness
ful legacies weighing on the adding that “a lot of hon- and stupidity.”
United States. est and decent people in the And Andrei Turchak, the
“Otherwise, where would U.S want to have peace and leader of the main pro-
the Black Lives Matter move- friendship with Russia.” Kremlin United Russia party,
ment come from?” he said, “I know that the U.S. and described Biden’s remarks as
citing racial injustice and the its leadership is generally a reflection of “the U.S. po-
killing of African Americans. inclined to have certain re- litical marasmus and its lead-
The exchange of tough state- lations with us, but only on er’s dementia.”
ments follows a declassified issues which are of interest Kremlin spokesman Dmi-
report from the U.S. national to the U.S. and on its con- try Peskov deplored what he
intelligence director’s office ditions,” Putin said. “But called “very bad remarks by
that found Putin authorized we know how to defend our the U.S. president,” noting
(AP) — President Vladi- lems. At the same time, he influence operations to try to own interests, and we will that that “there was nothing
mir Putin responded offered to have a phone call help Trump in his failed bid work with them only in the like that in history.”
Thursday to U.S. Presi- with Biden to discuss issues to win reelection in Novem- areas we are interested in and
dent Joe Biden’s descrip- of mutual interest. ber. The Kremlin has dis- on conditions we see as ben- Konstantin Kosachev, a depu-
tion of the Russian leader White House press secretary missed the report as baseless. eficial to ourselves. And they ty speaker of the Russian par-
as a killer by citing Ameri- Jen Psaki said Thursday that “(Putin) will pay a price,” will have to reckon with it.” liament’s upper house, said
ca’s past and present trou- Biden will continue to look Biden said in the interview, Speaking in separate com- Biden’s “boorish statement”
bles, from slavery and the to work with Putin on areas asked about the declassified ments later Thursday, Putin marks a watershed in Wash-
slaughter of Native Amer- of mutual concern such as report. said he would ask the Foreign ington’s relations with Mos-
icans to racial injustice. efforts to stem Iran’s nuclear Biden’s administration Ministry to arrange a call with cow, warning that Russia’s
Biden was asked in an in- program and, more broadly, warned that Russia would Biden in the next few days to response wouldn’t be limited
terview this week wheth- nuclear nonproliferation. But face sanctions soon over its discuss the coronavirus pan- to recalling its ambassador “if
er he thought Putin was she said that Biden is “not attempt to influence last demic, regional conflicts and the American side fails to of-
a killer, and he replied, going to hold back” when he year’s U.S. election and the other issues. fer explanation and excuse.”
“I do,” a remark that has concerns about Putin’s massive Solar Wind hacks. Russia’s relations with the
prompted Russia to recall actions. The spiraling tensions have “I wouldn’t delay it for long, United States and the Eu-
its ambassador in Wash- Psaki added that Biden did brought U.S.-Russian rela- I would like to go to the taiga ropean Union already have
ington for consultations not regret referring to Putin tions to the point where they for a quick break over the plunged to post-Cold War
and warn about further as a killer and pushed back were at the end of President weekend, so we can do it lows after Moscow’s annexa-
retaliation. against suggestions that the Barack Obama’s administra- tomorrow or Monday,” Pu- tion of Ukraine’s Crimean
rhetoric was unhelpful. tion, a chilly strain that dif- tin said in televised remarks, Peninsula, election med-
Biden has taken a tough “President Biden has known fered markedly from Trump’s without specifying where in dling, hacking attacks and
stance on Russia, saying that President Putin for a long efforts to court Putin. Siberia he plans to visit. most recently, the jailing of
the days of the U.S. “roll- time,” Psaki said. “They’ve Asked what he would tell “We must continue our rela- Russia’s opposition leader
ing over” to Putin are done, both been on the global Biden in response to his re- tions,” he noted. “Last time, Alexei Navalny that followed
contrasting his style with the stage for a long time, worked marks, Putin said: “I would President Biden initiated a his poisoning he blamed on
approach of former President through many iterations of tell him: ‘Be well.’ I wish him call and now I would like the Kremlin. Russian author-
Donald Trump, who avoided a relationship between the health, and I say that without to offer President Biden to ities rejected the accusations.
direct confrontation and fre- United States and Russia. any irony or joking.” continue our discussions. It Asked about Biden’s remark
quently spoke about Putin And he believes we can con- Recalling his youth, Putin would be in the interest of on Putin, German Foreign
with approval. tinue to do that.” said that he and his friends both Russian and the U.S. Minister Heiko Maas said
Putin was asked about Psaki also dismissed Putin’s would respond to insults people and other countries, Berlin expects “a clear lan-
Biden’s comment during a “it-takes-one-to-know-one”- with the taunt: “The names bearing in mind that we bear guage in Washington toward
video call marking the anni- style response, suggesting you call are what you are a special responsibility for Russia,” but emphasized that
versary of Russia’s 2014 an- Biden’s words reflected the yourself” — a Russian ver- global security as the largest “there needs to be dialogue
nexation of Crimea, and he United States’ own prob- sion of the childhood riposte, nuclear powers.” and agreement” on issues
responded with an “it-takes- lems. “I’m rubber, you’re glue; Other Russian officials and such as climate change and
one-to-know-one”-style “The president believes that what you say bounces off me lawmakers were less diplo- disarmament, noting that
remark, saying his counter- one of the greatest attributes and sticks to you.” matic. Biden quickly extended the
part’s words reflected the of the United States is our “It’s not just a rhymed child- Dmitry Medvedev, the New START arms control
United States’ own prob- honest self-reflection, and ish joke; it has a deep psy- deputy head of Russia’s Se- agreement with Russia.

Hungary’s governing Fidesz leaves European party group

(AP) — Hungary’s gov- family affairs and vice-pres- Fidesz’s withdrawal notice navirus pandemic allowed moderate national delega-
erning party announced ident of the ruling Fidesz was largely a formality. The for an in-person meeting. tions had pushed for Fidesz’s
Thursday it would resign party, declared that Fidesz right-wing party quit the The party’s membership in expulsion, arguing it no lon-
from its conservative Eu- “no longer wishes to main- EPP’s caucus in the Euro- the European People’s Par- ger represented the group’s
ropean political family, tain its membership in the pean Union parliament two ty was suspended in 2019 values. The EPP Group, the
bringing an end to years European People’s Party.” weeks ago after the center- over concerns that it was party’s caucus in the Eu-
of conflict within the “It’s time to say goodbye,” right group overwhelm- eroding the rule of law in ropean Parliament, wrote
group over Hungary’s re- Novak wrote in the tweet. ingly passed a resolution Hungary, engaging in anti- in December that “the fre-
cord on democratic val- European People’s Party Pres- that would make it easier Brussels rhetoric and at- quent attacks by Fidesz’s
ues and the rule of law. ident Donald Tusk immedi- to expel Fidesz members. tacking the EPP leadership. representatives towards the
A resignation letter released ately retorted: “FIDESZ has A vote on expelling Fi- Fidesz has led the Hungar- European Union and its
in a tweet by Katalin No- left Christian Democracy. In desz from the EPP was ex- ian government since 2010. values are not in line with
vak, Hungary’s minister for truth, it left many years ago.” pected as soon as the coro- Some of the EPP’s more the core beliefs of the EPP.”