Biden says Russia will ‘pay’ for ‘meddling’ in US elections

NEW YORK, Mar 17, 2021, TASS. US President Joe Biden believes that Russian leadership will have to “pay a price” for attempts to interfere in US elections attributed to Moscow, he said in an interview with ABC broadcast Wednesday, TASS reported.

Interviewer George Stephanopoulos asked about Biden’s reaction to the release of an unclassified report by the US chief intelligence office, which claims that the Russian authorities allegedly sought to discredit Biden and his US Democratic Party during last year’s election campaign.

“He will pay a price,” the US leader said referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We had a long talk, he and I, <…> I know him relatively well. And the conversation started off, I said, ‘I know you and you know me. If I establish this occurred, then be prepared’.” “The most important thing when dealing with foreign leaders in my experience <…> is just to know the other guy,” he added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday that the Russian administration believes claims that Russia allegedly meddled in the 2020 US presidential elections to be groundless and unfounded. The spokesman noted, “we can only once again express regret that these materials, which are far from being of any quality, are used as a pretext to bring forward the issue of more sanctions” against Russia.