Biden says the United States will not hesitate to raise costs for Russia

President Joe Biden warned Moscow on Thursday that the United States will not hesitate to raise costs for Russia and defend US interests in its first major foreign policy speech since taking office.

“I told President Putin very clearly in a very different way from my predecessor that the time of the US turning upside down in the face of aggressive Russian action, which interferes with our elections, cyber attacks, poisoning of its citizens, is over,” he said.

“We will not hesitate to raise costs for Russia and defend our vital interests and people, and we will be more effective in our relations with Russia when we work in coalition and in coordination with other partners with the same spirit,” the president said.

Biden demanded the release of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who was detained in Moscow last month and sentenced to more than two years in prison. Navalny was poisoned last year and spent months recovering in Germany. He blames the Kremlin for his poisoning.

“Mr Navalny, like all Russian citizens, has the right to his rights under the Russian constitution,” Biden said. “He was targeted for exposing corruption and should be released immediately and unconditionally.”

Navalny’s detention has sparked mass protests across Russia over the past two weekends. Thousands of protesters were arrested by Russian police.

“Russia’s efforts to suppress freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are a matter of deep concern for us and the international community,” Biden said.

The Biden administration is under increasing pressure to impose sanctions on Russia for poisoning Navalny. The United Kingdom and the European Union imposed sanctions last year.

The White House is examining other issues related to Russia, including SolarWinds piracy, reports of rewards placed by Russia on US forces in Afghanistan, and potential electoral interference, and will determine the answer based on its findings.