Biden Calls Putin “Murderous Dictator” – U.S.-Russia Relations Damaged Forever? – On Thursday, President Joe Biden branded Russian President Vladimir Putin a “pure thug” and a “murderous dictator” in his strongest condemnation of the political leader yet.
During a speech at the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon on Capitol Hill, celebrating St. Patrick’s day, Joe Biden said that Putin was waging an “immoral” war against the Ukrainian people, just stopping short of calling his military activity in the country illegal.
Putin made similar comments during a meeting with Michael Martin, the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, criticizing the Russian leader’s brutality.
“Putin’s brutality and what he’s doing and his troops are doing in Ukraine is just inhumane,” Biden said.
Americans’ Opinions of Russia More Negative Than Ever
Russian favorability among American adults has dropped to an all-time low, according to a poll conducted by Gallup. The survey, which was conducted between February 1 and 17 – before the invasion of Ukraine began – found that only 15% of Americans had a positive view of Russia.
On the flip side, 85% of Americans view Russia unfavorably.
Now that the war in Ukraine has begun and thousands of innocent civilians have died, that number may have stooped much lower.
The figure is a 7-point decline in Russia’s favorability ratings since February 2021. This time, however, Democrats and Republicans were more aligned in their views of Russia. It found that 88% if both Democrats and Republicans had negative views on Russia, while 82% of independents shared the same negative opinion.
It’s a stark change compared to Americans’ views on Russia in 2011, before the annexation of Crimea and at a time when President Vladimir Putin was working to gain greater acceptance for Russia among Western economies. Putin notoriously met with actors, business leaders, and other big names from the United States regularly as part of his effort to normalize relations with Russia.
Blinken Accuses Russia of War Crimes
On Thursday, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated his agreement with President Joe Biden’s comments on Putin, stating that Russia will be held accountable for any war crimes that may have been committed in Ukraine.
“Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime,” Blinken said during a White House press briefing. “I find it difficult to conclude that the Russians are doing otherwise.”
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
