US President Joe Biden on Sunday promised to tell his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at their first summit on June 16 that the United States will not let Russia "
violate
" human rights.
"
I will meet President Putin in two weeks in Geneva, and I will make it clear that we will not stand idly by while they violate these rights,
" he said during a speech on the eve of Memorial Day, a public holiday to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers for the nation.
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The Democratic President also recalled having had a long telephone conversation in February with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
“
I made it clear to him that we cannot help but defend human rights around the world, because that is what we are,
” he said.
“
America is unique.
It's an idea
”, he insisted,“
for us, the fact that all men and women are born equal is obvious
”.
Joe Biden will meet Vladimir Putin on June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland, at a time of heightened tensions between the two rival powers.
The American president shows great firmness towards Russia, eager to mark the break with his predecessor Donald Trump, accused of complacency towards the master of the Kremlin.
But the Democratic president is also hammering out his desire for dialogue.
If he promises to punish Russia again "
if it continues to interfere in our democracy
", and went so far as to call his Russian counterpart a "
killer
", he assures that he does not want to "
trigger a cycle of escalation and of conflict
”.