Biden Pressed Putin on Arms Control Treaty, Navalny in First Call, Psaki Says

President Joe Biden had his first call with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, raising concerns about the arrest of opposition figure Alexei Navalny while pressing the Russian president on his nation’s involvement in a massive cyberespionage campaign and bounties on American troops in Afghanistan, two senior administration officials said.

Biden has looked to establish a sharp break from the warm rhetoric often displayed toward Putin by his predecessor, Donald Trump. But the new president also looked to preserve room for diplomacy, telling the Russian leader that the two nations should finalize a five-year extension of an arms control treaty before it expires early next month, according to the officials, who were familiar with the call but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Unlike his immediate predecessors, Biden has not held out hope for a “reset” in relations with Russia but has instead indicated he wants to manage differences with the former Cold War foe without necessarily resolving them or improving ties. And, with a heavy domestic agenda and looming decisions needed on Iran and China, a direct confrontation with Russia is not something he seeks.

Moscow reached out last week to request the call, according to the officials. Biden agreed but wanted first to prepare with his staff and speak with European allies, including the leaders of the Britain, France and Germany.

And on Tuesday before his call with Putin, Biden spoke to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, pledging the United States’ commitment to the decades-old alliance founded as a bulwark against Russian aggression.

Biden told Putin that his administration was assessing the SolarWinds breach and the press allegations that Russia offered the Taliban bounties to kill American troops in Afghanistan. Biden said the United States is willing to defend itself and will take action, which could include further sanctions, to ensure that Moscow does not act with impunity, according to the administration officials.

A readout of the call from the Kremlin was not immediately available.

The call came as Putin considers the aftermath of pro-Navalny protests that took place in more than 100 Russian cities over the weekend. Biden’s team has already reacted strongly to the crackdown on the protests, in which more than 3,700 people were arrested across Russia, including more than 1,400 in Moscow. More protests are planned for the coming weekend.

Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner and Putin’s fiercest critic, was arrested Jan. 17 as he returned to Russia from Germany, where he had spent nearly five months recovering from nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Biden has previously condemned the use of chemical weapons.

Russian authorities deny the accusations.

Trump was long enamored of Putin and sought his approval, frequently casting doubt on Russian interference in the 2016 elections, including when he stood next to Putin at their 2018 summit in Helsinki. He also downplayed Russia’s involvement in the hack of federal government agencies last year and the allegations that Russia offered the Taliban bounties.

Despite this conciliatory approach, his administration toed a tough line against Moscow, imposing sanctions on the country, Russian companies and business leaders for issues ranging from Ukraine to energy supplies and attacks on dissidents.

Biden, in his call with Putin, broke sharply with Trump by declaring that he knew that Russia attempted to interfere with both the 2016 and 2020 elections. But he also stressed the need to extend New START, the last remaining U.S.-Russia arms control treaty, which is due to expire in early February. U.S. officials have expressed confidence in reaching a deal, which would provide transparency into each nation’s nuclear arsenal.

Biden on Monday told reporters he hoped the U.S. and Russia could cooperate in areas where both see benefit.

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[mahaffer]

0:52 She said Russian interference in the 2020 election!?!??!?! I thought they said it was the most secured election ever

[mickeysealtoe]

"we can land on the Sun, but only if we arrive at night." - Joe Blinden

[gcmotorman]

And Mr.Putin laughed and laughed and laughed some more. And then did exactly whatever he wanted

[thecommonsenseconservative]

And Putin laughed his ass off at Biden and told him "What the F are you going to do?"

[FoolBoyQ]

I love how this is Bloomberg and it is being ratio'd to hell. I love it.

[udarpavarota]

The day Putin has to worry about Biden that'll be the day parrots speak Romanian.

[cartertucker]

She's not very good at this. Never has a answer or the right answer

[onlygenders]

Biden pressed Putin lol. The only thing he pressed was his straw into his juice box this morning.

[nate]

I miss the attractive press secretary.

[SunScope]

So the e.o. Signed, requiring masks to be worn at all government facilities, applies only to those not in the “inner circle”?
Six months ago, neighborhoods would have been burnt to the ground because of such a thing.

[undamned]

There's no way Biden called out Putin, personally, on the phone, on those issues.

[HS-cflb]

You forgot to mention that he offered Putin Hunters updated resume....

[joshdavis]

After the past 4 years, I won't settle for anything less than full transparency. With the amount of power these people wield, I would go so far as to say they shouldn't even be allowed private lives while they hold office. _Every_ _move_ scrutinized.

[YalVKeeZ]

Joe Biden can’t press his butter knife to a piece of bread to make a PBJ sandwich I doubt he pressed Putin on anything 😂😂😂

[BasedManRich]

80 mill votes and almost Every video about him has more dislikes than likes?

[MrMustang]

"Um, will get back with you on that, Um, we are looking into that, Um, It does raise concerns on that, Um, we are pressing the issues on that, Um, ah Um, That's all the answers we have for you today, Um" - Jen Um Psaki

[coconutlacroix]

So many executive orders but where is the stimulus you promised on day 1?

[BLIX]

Heels up Harris, Creepy Uncle Joe and Raggedy Ann. Most popular dream team in history!

[phoenixbyrd]

Biden: About that Arms Control Treaty?
Putin: What Arms Control Treaty?
Biden: C'mon man, you know the thing.
Putin: STFU Boomer

[Mary...-uj]

Kayleigh was more intelligent and spoke better...was WAY prettier to