US President Joe Biden, with US Vice President Kamala Harris (L), speaks about foreign policy at the State Department in Washington, DC on February 4, 2021.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
President Joe Biden warned Moscow on Thursday that the United States will not hesitate to raise costs to Russia and defend American interests in its first major foreign policy speech since taking office.
“I have made it very clear to President Putin in a way that is very different from my predecessor that the days of the United States are passing in the face of Russian aggressive actions, disrupting our elections, cyber-attacks, and poisoning its citizens,” Biden said.
“We will not hesitate to increase costs to Russia and defend our vital interests and our people, and we will be more effective in dealing with Russia as we work in coalition and coordination with other like-minded partners,” the president said.
Biden called for the release of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who was held in Moscow last month and sentenced to more than two years in prison. Navalny was poisoned last year and spent months recovering in Germany. He blames the Kremlin for his poisoning.
“Mr. Navalny, like all Russian citizens are entitled to his rights under the Russian constitution,” said Biden. “He is the target of exposing corruption and must be released immediately and unconditionally.”
Navalny’s detention has sparked massive protests across Russia for the past two weekends. Thousands of protesters have been arrested by the Russian police.
“Russia’s efforts to suppress freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are of great concern to us and the international community,” said Biden.
The Biden government is under increasing pressure to impose sanctions on Russia for Navalny’s poisoning. The UK and the European Union imposed sanctions last year. Members of Congress had called on President Donald Trump to do this, but his administration did not act.
The White House is assessing other Russia-related issues, including the hacking of SolarWinds, reports of bounties made by Russia to US forces in Afghanistan, and possible election interference, and will determine its response based on its findings.