Biden: "I Will Tell Putin That Russia's Human Rights Abuses Will Not Be Ignored"

Strong Remarks Ahead of Talks on the 16th Next Month
Ukraine, Navalny Issue Expected to Be Discussed

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized that he will directly raise human rights issues with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the U.S.-Russia summit scheduled for the 16th of next month. It is expected that issues such as the conflict in Ukraine, for which Russia is being criticized by the international community, and the suppression of opposition politicians will be brought up.

According to foreign media including CNN on the 30th (local time), President Biden stated in a Memorial Day speech held at the Veterans Memorial Park in New Castle, Delaware, "I will meet President Putin in Geneva in two weeks and make it clear that the United States will not tolerate Russia's human rights violations." He also emphasized, "During a recent phone call lasting over two hours with Chinese President Xi Jinping, I made it clear to him that the U.S. must speak openly about human rights worldwide."

Although President Biden did not mention specific cases regarding Russia's human rights violations, it is interpreted that he had in mind issues such as the conflict on the eastern border of Ukraine and human rights problems caused by the Russian government, including the suppression of opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

Accordingly, there are forecasts that this summit will not serve as a breakthrough for normalizing U.S.-Russia relations. Previously, the Biden administration imposed sanctions such as expelling 10 Russian diplomats from the U.S. over allegations of Russian interference in the election and cyberattacks, and strongly criticized President Putin while demanding Navalny's release. Additionally, conflicts continue over the deployment of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border and the ongoing clashes.

Recently, tensions between Russia and the U.S. have escalated over the Belarusian government's forced landing of an Irish passenger plane and the arrest of opposition activists, with whom President Putin has been showing close ties by continuing economic and security support. The U.S. is reportedly participating in the European Union's (EU) sanctions against Belarus and is also pursuing additional independent sanctions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.