In fact, Biden is already adopting a different tone. According to the White House, the president confronted Putin during a phone call this week about the evil activities of Russia, including his alleged rewards to American troops in the Middle East, the suspected poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the massive cyber attack against the US government and the private sector.
“President Biden has made it clear that the United States will act strongly in defending its national interests in response to Russia’s actions that harm us or our allies,” said the White House.
The move is a welcome development across Pennsylvania Avenue, where lawmakers have been consumed by scandals and investigations into Trump’s relationship with Moscow. And he underscored Biden’s efforts to keep Russia under control, without further fixing or inflaming the relationship between the two countries.
“Perhaps Biden’s approach will serve us better. We’ll have to see it, ”said Senator Kevin Cramer (RN.D.). “Certainly this president’s rhetoric, perhaps in the first weeks or two, is different. Whether there is a different relationship or outcome is not yet known. “
During the campaign, Biden harangued Trump as an apologist for Putin, and the former president often drew criticism from his own party, especially after contradicting and undermining the U.S. intelligence community by saying he believed in Putin’s denial of electoral interference. .
Republicans praised Biden’s consistency, but said the new government should maintain the Trump team’s robust policies against Russia, which included the expulsion of Russian diplomats. To the chagrin of many in the Republican Party, these actions were often overshadowed by the former president’s deferential stance towards Putin, including his persistent efforts to minimize Kremlin interference in the 2016 elections.
“All the noise around Putin and Trump was really more about what [Trump] I didn’t mean it publicly, ”said Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida), the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee. “But in terms of public policy, there has never been a government that has taken tougher steps against Russia.”
Biden has a long way to go to build confidence among Republicans regarding his foreign policy goals. While Republicans have welcomed the aggressiveness, they are raising new concerns about Biden’s offer for a five-year extension to a nuclear weapons control treaty known as the New START – which the Trump administration did not want to renew. And some are questioning Biden’s harsh rhetoric, given the Obama administration’s quest for a so-called “restart” with Russia, which has failed.
“I’m sure Putin will turn an entirely new page as a result of the conversation,” joked Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) before adding, “There’s nothing Putin would like more than a clean extension of the New START. It is a great gift for him. “
Biden said on Tuesday that extending the new START treaty, which expires next month, is “in the mutual interest of our countries” and that his government can work with Moscow while, at the same time, denouncing Putin for malicious behavior.
Republicans are not so confident, noting that Russia has exploited loopholes in the New START to accumulate certain types of nuclear weapons. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Warned on Wednesday against “worshiping gun control as a religion”.
“I think it’s okay to make a call, but what it means the most is what you do,” added Cornyn. “And I’m concerned about that.”
Senator Bob Menendez (DN.J.), the next chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and one of the new president’s main allies, said Biden’s approach to Russia is “one of the biggest contrasts you’ll see” with the new administration, and said that it is possible to conduct diplomacy with an opponent and, at the same time, hold him accountable.
“I am happy that although the president is looking to extend the New START agreement, at the same time he is being tough on Russia in all of these things,” said Menendez. “Russia only understands strength, so this is an incredible start. I think you will not only see the words President Biden used, but you will see actions proportional to those words. “
This was often not the case at Trump. Sometimes lawmakers had to step in and make sure the president was not blocking some of the penalties the U.S. was imposing on Russia for interfering in the 2016 elections, especially after the government failed to implement several mandatory sanctions against Russian individuals and entities.
Trump also faced significant reaction during his 2018 summit with Putin in Helsinki, during which he said at a joint press conference with his counterpart that “I see no reason why it is” Russia that intrudes on the 2016 campaign. The statement surprised lawmakers and Trump officials themselves, especially considering the U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia interfered in the election to boost Trump’s candidacy.
“The point was that this was where speculation, noise and criticism revolved – which he would not say at a press conference,” said Rubio, who occupies a prominent position in the Foreign Affairs panel.
Ultimately, the Trump administration has taken decisive action that lawmakers on both sides of the corridor want to see upheld. If that is the case, McConnell said on Wednesday, the Biden government will find “willing partners on Capitol Hill”.
“If President Biden and his team are serious about challenging China, Russia and these other threats, they will need to show that,” said McConnell. “Without continued and robust investment in a presence of modern global strength, American leadership would be little more than empty rhetoric.”
Marianne LeVine contributed to this report.