Biden's Drastically Altered Tone on Vladimir Putin - What It Means

As we told you, President Biden is getting ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Only a few months ago, President Biden referred to Putin as a killer and soulless. Now, as he prepares to meet with the Russian leader, President Biden referred to him as a “worthy adversary.” This change of tone comes at a time when tensions are high between Russia and the United States and amidst cyber-attacks from Russia that we’ve seen on U.S. companies.

In March of 2021, President Biden was asked in an ABC news interview if he thinks that Vladimir Putin is a killer. He responded:

"Mmm hmm, I do. . . . He will pay a price."

Even more recently in a late-night news conference, President Biden said:

"I have met with him. He’s bright. He’s tough. And I have found that he is a, as they used to say when I used to play ball, a worthy adversary."

When asked why the distinct shift of rhetoric was used from killer to adversary, President Biden responded:

"I believe he is, in the past, essentially acknowledged that he was, there were certain things that he would do or he did do. But look, when I was asked that question on air, I answered it honestly. I don’t think it matters a whole lot in terms of this next meeting we’re about to have."

ACLJ Senior Counsel for Global Affairs and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave his take on the rhetoric President Biden has used and how it looks for President Biden to not take a joint press conference with Putin:

"It looks pretty weak to me that you can’t stand on a podium and make your case. You’re going to disagree a lot with President Putin. I am sure that the Biden Administration will as well. But you can’t defend by making the case for America why it is. It’s important that America gets this right. They showed up having already unloaded all of the leverage we had. They reentered a nuclear deal called New START and they got nothing from the Russians for it. They took sanctions off some of Vladimir Putin’s friends. All of the leverage that had been created just so they can get the Russians to cooperate on these important issues – they shut down an American pipeline from Russia. . . . This is a place that calls for strength."

He added:

"I do worry. Some of the language President Biden has used – pretty tough calling him a killer. The Russians aren’t going to be scared away by words. They’re going to see the weakness of America. And if we’re not resolved and do the kinds of things we did for four years in the Trump Administration – to impose real costs when they behave badly and reward them when they did the things that made sense for America. If it’s just about rhetoric, and trying to look tough or act like you're tougher, that is going to fail. . . . If we are weak with the Russians, the whole world will see."

The entire world is watching President Biden lead the U.S. on the international stage. The President is the only one who can be advocating for America’s best interest in these discussions – meetings that can severely affect our national security. There is no doubt that President Biden’s weak rhetoric provides some context for how the upcoming meeting will go. We will have more analysis to come after President Biden visits with President Putin in Switzerland for a five-hour long meeting.

Today’s full Sekulow broadcast is complete with even more analysis of President Biden’s upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.