Washington: Russia recalled its U.S. ambassador to Moscow for consultations on Wednesday following Joe Biden terming Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "killer" who would "pay a price" for election meddling. The move in all probability is the first major diplomatic crisis for the new American President.
Biden's remarks came during an interview with ABC News, when he was asked about a U.S. intelligence report that the Russian leader tried to harm his candidacy in the November 2020 election and promote that of Donald Trump.
"He will pay a price," the 78-year-old President said.
And when asked whether he believed Putin was responsible for poisoning opposition leader Alexei Navalny, now in jail, Biden's answer was in the affirmative.
The comments were aired as the U.S. Commerce Department announced it was toughening export restrictions imposed on Russia as punishment for Navalny's poisoning.
The comments were quickly followed by Russia's summoning its envoy home. However, US State Department did not take retaliatory action by recalling its envoy in Moscow.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told RIA Novosti that "responsibility for further deterioration of Russian-American ties fully rests with the United States."
In Washington, the State Department noted the Russian move and said the United States will "remain clear-eyed about the challenges that Russia poses."
As reported by AFP, a State Department spokeswoman at the U.S. envoy would remain in Moscow in in the hopes of maintaining "open channels of communication" and in order to "reduce the risk of miscalculation between our countries."
In comparison, Biden's assessment that Putin is a "killer" marked a stark contrast with Trump's steadfast refusal to say anything negative about the Russian President.
In a 2017 interview with Fox News, Trump was asked about Putin being a "killer." "There are a lot of killers," he replied. "You think our country's so innocent?