President Joe Biden is issuing a rebuke of Russia, saying the Kremlin “weaponizes corruption to try to undermine our system of governance.”
While delivering remarks from the White House during a virtual session of the Munich Security Conference, Biden railed against Russian President Vladimir Putin for seeking to “weaken the European project and our NATO alliance” and undermining the “transatlantic unity and our resolve.”
He explained on Friday, “It’s so much easier for the Kremlin to bully and threaten individual states than it is to negotiate with a strong and closely-united transatlantic community.”
Biden continued, “That’s why standing up for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine remains a vital concern for Europe and the United States.”
Watch his remarks below:
President Biden on Russia: "The Kremlin attacks our democracies and weaponizes corruption to try to undermine our system of governance." pic.twitter.com/VXtKIb04Db
— American Journal News (@AmerJournalNews) February 19, 2021
He stressed the importance of addressing “Russian recklessness” and cybersecurity across the United States and Europe.
Biden acknowledged the issues with Russia may be different from the ones with China but suggested they are “just as real.”
“It is not about pitting East against West. It’s not about we want a conflict. We want a future where all nations are able to freely determine their own path without a threat of violence or coercion,” he said.
Biden added, “We cannot and must not return to the reflective opposition and rigid blocks of the Cold War. Competition must not lock out cooperation on issues that affect us all.”
The president’s message took a different approach to foreign affairs than Trump’s has in the past, as IJR reported.
He promised to put a stop to transactional relationships with other countries, “Our partnerships have endured and grown through the years because they are rooted in the richness of our shared democratic values. They’re not transactional. They’re not extractive. They’re built on a vision of the future where every voice matters.”
Biden continued, “I know, I know the past few years of strain (have) tested our transatlantic relationship, but the United States is determined – determined to re-engage with Europe.”