No congratulations from the Kremlin
Biden warns to fight for democracy
7/5/2022 1:16 am
On Independence Day, US President Joe Biden warns his compatriots not to take democracy for granted – and calls for unity. The Democrat combines his wishes with criticism of the country’s Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Biden will not get any nice mail from Moscow.
US President Joe Biden called on his countrymen to unite on the United States’ Independence Day. “I know that many Americans are looking around today and seeing a divided country and are deeply concerned about it,” Biden said in a speech at the White House Monday night marking National Day. “I understand that. But I believe that we are more united than we are divided. More than that, I believe that it is a choice that we make and I believe that it is in our power to commit ourselves to unity decide.”
Biden said, “Liberty is under attack, both here and abroad.” In recent days there has been reason to believe “that this country is moving backwards, that freedom has been restricted, that the rights we thought were protected no longer apply”. Biden was referring to controversial decisions by the US Supreme Court, which recently overturned abortion rights, among other things. The US President warned that democracy is not guaranteed. “We have to fight for them.”
No congratulations from the Kremlin
Out of anger at what he sees as anti-Russian US policy, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin did not congratulate his colleague Joe Biden on American Independence Day this year. “No, no congratulatory telegram will be sent this year,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Interfax agency. “That is because this year has become the culmination of unfriendly policies towards our country by the United States,” he said. “Therefore, it can hardly be considered appropriate to send such a message of congratulations under these circumstances.”
Russia-US relations, already tenuous in recent years, have been at rock bottom since Russia’s attack on Ukraine in late February.