Putin to Biden: ‘Don’t be mad at the mirror if you are ugly’ [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday compared his critics and anti-government group’s detainment to the US’ infamous Capitol riot on January 6.
• Putin argued that the US and other western countries do not have evidence to claim that Russia was behind the issues being thrown at his nation.
• Putin’s statements came days before he is set to meet with US President Joe Biden for the first time since the latter became president.

Speaking with journalists in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin likened his critics and the detention of anti-Putin demonstrators in Russia to the infamous January 6 US Capitol riot — NBC News reported Monday.

Putin told the media that the US and other nations do not have a proof for accusing Russia of election meddling, cyberattacks, and other malevolent actions in recent years.

He also attributed the detainment of hundreds of US Capitol rioters last January 6 to the notion that the new US administration was biased against Americans who have opposing political opinions.

“Did you order the assassination of the woman who walked into the Congress and who was shot and killed by a policeman?” Putin said, citing the case of California woman Ashli Babbitt, who passed away during the siege after getting shot by a US Capitol Police.

“Do you know that 450 individuals were arrested after entering the Congress? And they didn’t go there to steal a laptop. They came with political demands,” the Russian president argued.

Per Putin, his government’s action towards political enemies was just similar to the US’ unfairness against political opposition.

In recent months, the Kremlin seized the organization run by Putin’s staunch critic Alexei Navalny and asked the court to label it as an extremist organization.

As of now, Navalny is in jail following an ambush attempt by Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. The US and other western countries have pointed the attack to Russia, which Putin has refuted.

“We don’t have this kind of habit of assassinating anybody,” Putin told NBC.

The Russian leader added: “We have a saying: ‘Don’t be mad at the mirror if you are ugly. It has nothing to do with you personally. But if somebody blames us for something, what I say is, why don’t you look at yourselves? You will see yourselves in the mirror, not us.”

Putin’s statements came days prior to his first anticipated meeting with US President Joe Biden since the latter assumed office early this year.

Over the weekend, Biden emphasized his intention to speak with Putin about several issues like the election interference and ransomware attacks amid Kremlin’s repeated denials.

“I think the best way to deal with this is for him and I to meet,” the Democrat president said Sunday following the G7 summit. “We are not looking for conflict [with Russia]… We are looking to resolve those issues we think are at odds with international norms.”

Source: Yahoo News