Biden Believes Putin Wants To Save Russia’s Soured Reputation On World Stage

Fresh off a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin, President Joe Biden made the case that the Russian president knows he needs to improve the country’s reputation on the international stage. 

Putin is afraid, Biden surmised, that “his credibility worldwide shrinks” as Russia’s human rights abuses, attacks on the free press and reputation for meddling in foreign elections increasingly define how the rest of the world regards the country. 

“How would it be if the United States were viewed by the rest of the world as interfering with the elections directly of other countries and everybody knew it?” Biden asked, referring to U.S. intelligence findings that Russia attempted to meddle in the last two U.S. presidential elections. “What would it be like if we engaged in activities that he’s engaged in? It diminishes the standing of a country that is desperately trying to make sure it maintains its standing as a major world power.”