President Joe Biden of the United States has stirred up controversy by referring to his counterpart, Russian President Vladimir Putin, as a "crazy SOB" during a public event in Uncle Sam's land. The remark was made during a fundraising event on Wednesday local time in California. Biden explicitly called out Putin, stating, "We've got a crazy SOB like Putin, and others, and we always have to worry about nuclear conflict, but the real threat to humanity is climate," as quoted by AFP on Friday (23/2/2024).
Biden's strong statement came after he previously referred to the Russian president, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as a "butcher" and a "war criminal." Biden announced that the US would unveil new tough sanctions against Russia on Friday over the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison.
This is not the first time Biden has used such language to describe Putin. He made similar remarks in 2022 during an interview with Fox News.
Russia has responded to Biden's comments, with some close associates of Putin making statements.
"It is very embarrassing for the country itself... for the US. If a president uses such language, it's embarrassing," said Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, as reported by AFP.
"Pak Biden clearly exhibits Hollywood cowboy-style behavior to serve domestic political interests," he continued.
Meanwhile, as reported by Reuters, Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012, stated that the real threat to the world comes from "useless old men, like Biden himself." Medvedev claimed that Biden is "senile" and "ready to start a war with Russia."