MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin says that President Vladimir Putin’s offer to speak by phone with U.S. President Joe Biden is intended to prevent bilateral ties from completely falling apart over the American’s remark that the Russian leader was a killer. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian leader made it clear that “it makes sense to just have a talk to maintain Russia-U.S. relations instead of trading barbs.” He also proposed to make it public to help defuse tensions over Biden’s “very bad remarks.” In an interview broadcast Wednesday, Biden replied “I do” when asked if he thought Putin was a “killer.” Russia responded by recalling its ambassador in Washington for consultations.
Kremlin: Putin’s offer of a call with Biden was to save ties
