President Biden referred to Vladimir V. Putin, the president of Russia, as a “crazy S.O.B.” during a fundraising event in California, which the Kremlin dismissed as “Hollywood cowboy-style behavior.”
“We have a crazy S.O.B. like that guy Putin, and others, and we always have to worry about nuclear conflict,” Mr. Biden told a crowd of donors in San Francisco on Wednesday night.
Mr. Biden’s remarks angered Moscow, leading to a direct exchange of criticisms.
Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, accused Mr. Biden of pandering to his domestic audience.
“It is evident that Mr. Biden is engaging in Hollywood cowboy-style antics to cater to domestic political interests,” Mr. Peskov stated.
In a televised interview, Mr. Putin speculated on why Mr. Biden had made such comments. The Russian president had previously mentioned that it was in Russia’s favor for Mr. Biden to secure a second term, a statement that some interpreted as indirectly endorsing Mr. Biden.
Mr. Putin believed that Mr. Biden’s statement stemmed from this endorsement.
“He can’t just say, ‘Volodya, good boy, thanks, you helped me a lot.’ We understand the dynamics of U.S. internal politics,” Mr. Putin remarked, using a nickname for Vladimir.
During his time in California, Mr. Biden also criticized former President Donald J. Trump for equating his legal issues with the persecution of Aleksei A. Navalny, the Russian opposition figure.
“If I had said all this 10 to 15 years ago, you’d all think I should be committed,” Mr. Biden remarked. He added that Mr. Trump has been detrimental to the Republican Party.
“Many of the Republicans, I may disagree with, but they were decent individuals. They at least had an American moral compass. That seems to be lost with some of the things this individual has been saying,” Mr. Biden said of Mr. Trump.
“He’s comparing himself to Navalny and claiming that because our country has turned communist, he’s facing persecution like Navalny did. I mean, where did this come from?”
Over the years, Mr. Trump has shown a strong affinity for Mr. Putin. He recently stated that he would “encourage” Russia to take any necessary actions against countries he deemed to be behind in their NATO commitments.
Mr. Biden has been openly critical of Mr. Putin. Last week, he held “Putin and his thugs” responsible for Mr. Navalny’s demise. He has also labeled Mr. Putin a “butcher” and, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, declared, “For God’s sake, this man cannot continue to hold power.”
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