The Kremlin says Joe Biden's remark about Russian President Vladimir Putin debased the US and those who use such vocabulary - and was a poor attempt to appear like a "Hollywood cowboy".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Biden called Putin a "crazy SOB" during a fundraiser in San Francisco on Wednesday, warning there is always the threat of nuclear conflict but that the existential threat to humanity remains climate.
"The use of such language against the head of another state by the president of the United States is unlikely to infringe on our president, President Putin," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
"But it debases those who use such vocabulary."
Peskov said the remark was "probably some kind of attempt to look like a Hollywood cowboy. But honestly I don't think it's possible".
"Has Mr Putin ever used one crude word to address you? This has never happened. Therefore, I think that such vocabulary debases America itself."
Australian Associated Press
