Biden says Putin will pay price for inteference in US elections

Bloomberg

President Joe Biden agreed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “killer,” and said in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday that Russia would pay for alleged interference in US elections.
His comments, came the same day as a US intelligence community report that Putin ordered influence operations to hurt Biden’s candidacy, favouring former President Donald Trump just as the intelligence community says the Russian leader did in 2016 against then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Putin “will pay a price” for the interference, Biden said. In a “long talk” with the Russian leader, Biden said he told him, “I know you and you know me. If I establish this occurred, then be prepared.”
After ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Biden if he believes Putin is “a killer,” Biden nodded and murmured agreement.
Russia’s ruble sank as much as 1.6% to 74 per dollar, its biggest intraday loss since February 25. The benchmark MOEX index also extended declines, and was down 2.1% as of 2:37 pm in Moscow. Ten-year bond yields were up three basis points at 6.84%, near their highest in a year.
Biden said that in a past conversation with Putin, he told him that he “looked in your eyes and I don’t think you have a soul.”
The remark was a reference to George W. Bush’s 2001 assessment of Putin, when the former US president said that “I looked the man in the eye” and “was able to get a sense of his soul.”
In December, then-Director of National Intelligence and Trump ally John Ratcliffe held up completion of the report, saying it needed to more fully reflect the national security threat posed by China, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity owing to the sensitivity of the information.
But in the end the report indicated that China did not “deploy interference efforts” in an effort to change the election outcome.
Earlier Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced the US intelligence report as “absolutely groundless.”
“It’s regrettable that the beginning of each presidential term in the US seems to be linked to imposing sanctions on Russia,” he said.
Putin has vociferously denied allegations his government is behind attacks on opponents. While the Kremlin has said it hopes for improved relations under the Biden administration, officials have few illusions that ties will get much better.