President Biden's Aftermath Calls Vladimir Putin A War Criminal: Russian Foreign Ministry Has Inappropriate Values, Summons US Ambassador

President Joe Biden and President Vladimir Putin. (Wikimedia Commons/Official White House/David Lienemann)

JAKARTA - The Russian Foreign Ministry said it summoned the United States Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan on Monday to inform him that President Joe Biden's assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal has pushed bilateral relations to the brink of collapse.

President Joe Biden said last week President Putin was a "war criminal" for sending tens of thousands of troops to attack Ukraine and target civilians.

"Such statements from the American President, unfit for a high-ranking statesman, put Russian-American relations on the verge of collapse," the ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, the Kremlin through its spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the comments as a "personal insult" to President Putin.

On the occasion, Russia's Foreign Ministry told Sullivan that hostile actions against Russia would receive a "firm and decisive response."

Separately, US State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed Ambassador Sullivan met with Russian officials. But he declined to say whether the US envoy had told them the United States supported the accusations President Biden had leveled against President Putin.

Price told a news conference the United States believes it is important to maintain channels of communication with Russia, especially during times of conflict.

"We have sought to maintain a diplomatic presence in Moscow, with the United States wanting Russia to maintain a similar presence in Washington," he said.

Russia's actions "raise the question of whether they too welcome these same open lines of communication," Price said.

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said in an interview on MSNBC that Russia's reported statement "only shows how desperate President Putin is."