Ex-US prez Donald Trump criticizes upcoming Biden-Putin call; terms it unfair match for US

Ahead of the most touted virtual meet between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, former US President Donald Trump claimed that the conference "will not be a fair match", Sputnik reported on Tuesday. According to the Russian news agency, Trump made the statement while speaking to Newsmax, hours before both the leaders set to speak on the Ukraine dispute. While speaking to the reporters, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said president Biden would seek a diplomatic solution to deal with the Russian aggression during a virtual call with Putin. According to Psaki, the Biden administration wants to clear the Russian government to face repercussions if they try to invade or destabilize the incumbent government.

Meanwhile, during the interview, the former US President said he came to know about the Biden-Putin video call on Tuesday. According to him, the call will not be a "fair match" for the United States. Notably, his critical response for Biden came when the journalist asked him whether the Biden administration wanted to put "undue pressure" on the alleged military buildup on the Ukrainian border. "Now I see that Joe Biden is proceeding to be discussing to Putin, and that's not a fair match ... That wouldn't have been a fair match in prime time. This is not a fair match for our country," Sputnik quoted Trump as saying during the interview with the Newsmax channel.

Trump criticises Biden diplomatic policy

Further, he went on to criticise the policy framed by the Biden administration for Russia and other nations.  According to him, he was nice to Russia when he was holding the chair of the US President but added he had also played a crucial role against Russia while dealing with the Chinese Communist government. Before wrapping up the interview, he also said he was nice to both North Korea, President Xi Jinping, and Putin when while dealing with other issues. "..And if you look at North Korea, I got along great with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. I got along great with President Xi Jinping of China, and I got along well with Putin," Sputnik quoted Trump. 

Biden's stand on Ukraine issue

As per Psaki, Biden would invoke economic sanctions against Russia if it tried to hamper Kyiv from any side. "We’ve consulted significantly with our allies and believe we have a path forward that would impose significant and severe harm on the Russian economy," AP quoted Psaki as saying during the preview meeting. "You can call that a threat. You can call that a fact. You can call that preparation. You can call it whatever you want to call it," added Psaki. It is pertinent to mention that Russian soldiers advanced into the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and annexed the territory from Ukraine when Barack Obama was the US President and, Biden was vice president in 2014. The action from the Russian troops and the failure of Obama in combating the Russian troops' drawn widespread criticism. Perceiving the situation of 2014, Biden does not want to reiterate the same situation.

(With inputs from AP)