PRESIDENT Joe Biden committed to holding Russia accountable for the recent spade of ransomware attacks ahead of his first foreign travel this week.
In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Biden pledged to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and reaffirm America’s stance against foreign malicious attacks.
“President Putin knows that I will not hesitate to respond to future harmful activities,” Biden said.
The president is heading to Europe on Wednesday in the first foreign trip of his presidency.
“This trip is about realizing America’s renewed commitment to our allies and partners, and demonstrating the capacity of democracies to both meet the challenges and deter the threats of this new age,” Biden said.
The trip comes on the heels of several cyberattacks at the hands of Russian crime groups that severely impacted America's food security and oil and gas lines.
“As new technologies reshape our world in fundamental ways, exposing vulnerabilities like ransomware attacks and creating threats such as invasive AI-driven surveillance, the democracies of the world must together ensure that our values govern the use and development of these innovations — not the interests of autocrats,” Biden said.
Biden will meet with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and then he will participate in the G-7 summit.
He will also attend the NATO summit and meet with the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council.
“We are standing united to address Russia’s challenges to European security, starting with its aggression in Ukraine, and there will be no doubt about the resolve of the United States to defend our democratic values, which we cannot separate from our interests,” Biden went on.
The president said he doesn’t want trouble with Russia, but he won’t hesitate to impose consequences on the country.
“In my phone calls with President Putin, I have been clear and direct. The United States does not seek conflict,” Biden said. “We want a stable and predictable relationship where we can work with Russia on issues like strategic stability and arms control.”
Biden said he imposed "meaningful consequences" for Russia's interference in American elections, and he won't hesitate to do it again.
In April, the administration approved sanctions against Russia and expelled Russian diplomats after the country allegedly interfered with the 2020 presidential election and hacked several federal agencies.
Source: Read Full Article
Covid returns to Wuhan as Xi praises China's Zero Covid policy
I was picked up by cops & locked in a tiny Majorca hospital room with no air con for 18 DAYS after I got a rare illness | The Sun
Texas Supreme Court blocks order that resumed abortions
New Victorian homes no longer required to have gas
New Victorian homes no longer required to have gas
Far from being done with COVID, UK records 2.3m cases in a week
Fugitive yoga teacher was living in Costa Rican 'treehouse hostel'
Genetic genealogy identifies suspect in 1990 murder of 17-year-old girl