Russian President Vladimir Putin praised President Joe Biden as “professional,” but criticized White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki in comments following his Wednesday meeting with Biden in Geneva, Switzerland.
Putin made the comments in a media appearance Thursday, offering backhanded compliments to Biden while criticizing his staff. He argued Psaki is routinely “mixing things up,” though he said it was no fault of her own, according to Russian state news.
“Biden is a professional, and one should work very attentively with him to avoid missing any detail. I can say with certainty that he never misses a single detail,” Putin said. “This was absolutely obvious for me.”
“His press secretary is a young, educated and pretty woman. She is mixing things up all the time. This is not because she is not enough educated or has a bad memory. Simply, you know when people think that some things are secondary, they don’t really fix their attention on this,” Putin explained. (RELATED: Biden, Putin Agree To Return Ambassadors During Summit)
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 02: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki answers reporters’ questions during the daily news briefing at the White House February 02, 2021 in Washington, DC. Psaki talked to reporters about President Joe Biden’s plan to sign several executive orders related to immigration. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Putin finished his comments with a backhanded compliment toward Biden. (RELATED: ‘Let Him Come Home’: Parents Beg Biden To Demand Putin Releases Their Son From Russian Prison)
“Well, the Americans believe that nothing is more important than themselves. This is their style,” he added. “I repeat once again – he is organized, he understands what he wants to achieve. And he is doing this very skillfully. One can feel this immediately.
Biden and Putin discussed a range of issues in their bilateral meeting in Geneva on Wednesday, including election interference and hacking attacks on the part of Russia and organizations within its borders.