Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted the U.S. on Friday ahead of his summit with President Joe Biden, pointing to the prosecution of Jan. 6 Capitol rioters as an example of alleged hypocrisy, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
Putin highlighted the fact that charges were brought against the Capitol rioters as the U.S. simultaneously criticized Russia’s response to anti-Kremlin demonstrations, The AP reported. “They weren’t just a crowd of robbers and rioters. Those people had come with political demands,” Putin said at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, according to The AP.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is setting a tough tone for his upcoming summit with President Joe Biden. Putin said that Russia-U.S. relations “are at an extremely low level now.” He also accused Washington of trying to contain Russia’s development. https://t.co/4dTi8rc5wp
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 4, 2021
Putin and Biden are scheduled to meet June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss arms control, global conflicts, the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, as previously reported. Relations between the two countries have been tense as a result of alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections and Russian cyberattacks. (RELATED: Russia Warns America To Expect Various ‘Uncomfortable’ ‘Signals From Moscow’ Ahead Of Putin-Biden Meeting)
“We need to find ways of looking for a settlement in our relations, which are at an extremely low level now,” Putin said at the forum.
“We don’t have any issues with the U.S.,” he continued. “But it has an issue with us. It wants to contain our development and publicly talks about it. Economic restrictions and attempts to influence our country’s domestic politics, relying on forces they consider their allies inside Russia, stem from that.”
Putin also revealed that he does anticipate any significant breakthroughs with Biden in the upcoming summit. However, he did express hope that it will facilitate “steps to normalize Russian-U.S. relations,” according to The AP.