Russia has summoned the US ambassador in protest after President Joe Biden branded Russian leader Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, saying he had endangered ties.
“Such statements by the American president, which are not worthy of a high-ranking statesman, have put Russian-American relations on the verge of rupture,” the foreign ministry says in a statement.
US President Joe Biden makes an address on the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2022. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images/JTA)
The statement says ambassador John Sullivan was handed a formal letter of protest over “recent unacceptable statements” made by Biden.
He was warned that “hostile actions taken against Russia would receive a firm and decisive response,” the ministry says.
Biden described Putin as a “war criminal” in remarks to reporters last week, amid heavy fighting in Ukraine after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into the pro-Western country.
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