GENEVA (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that U.S. President Joe Biden had phoned him to explain why he had called him “a killer” in March and that the explanation he had offered had satisfied Putin.
Putin was speaking at a news conference after a summit with Biden in Geneva.
Biden in an ABC News interview broadcast in March said “I do” when asked if he believed Putin was a killer.
That prompted Russia to recall its Washington ambassador for consultations, and the U.S. ambassador to Moscow returned home for consultations later too. Biden and Putin agreed to return their ambassadors at Wednesday’s summit.
“As regards those sharp declarations what can I say, we’re all familiar with them,” said Putin, referring to Biden’s ABC interview.
“President Biden phoned me afterwards and we exchanged views on the subject. These explanations suited me,” said Putin.
The Russian leader went on to list what he said he regarded as numerous human rights violations by U.S. authorities and accused the U.S. military of being responsible for the murder of civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Who takes responsibility for that?,” said Putin. “Who is the murderer?”
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin in Geneva and by Maria Kiselyova in Moscow; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
