MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden’s statements about Washington’s relations with other countries, including Russia and China, made in his first address to the US Congress could be considered encouraging, had they not been accompanied by conditions and threats to use force if they were not fulfilled, Deputy Speaker of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Konstantin Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page.
"On the external track, of course, what is important to note is that Biden stated that there is no aspiration towards escalation with Russia, that there is a need for a level playing field in the economy for all, even for China, and that he is willing to use diplomacy in relations with Iran and North Korea. On the whole, [those were] encouraging statements, if only in each case they were not accompanied by conditions and threats to use force, if they were not met, which nullifies these statements to a large extent," he emphasized.
Commenting on Biden’s remarks about white supremacy, which he identified as a domestic terror threat for America, Kosachev described them as an interesting interpretation, which, at the same time, "is unlikely to reconcile a divided American society." According to the deputy speaker, "outwardly-directed radicalism can be compared to terrorism, which captures the minds of people, as well as internal actions by white supremacists in the United States who smash monuments and seize museums."
On Wednesday, Biden said in his first address to Congress that the United States and Russia could cooperate despite the existing disagreements between them, but Washington will react to any moves by Moscow that it considers to be unfriendly. He also assured that the US sought no escalation in relations with Russia and that Moscow and Washington could cooperate "when it’s in our mutual interests."
Biden noted that the United States would maintain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific but sought no conflict with China. He also stressed that America would "stand up to unfair trade practices that undercut American workers and industries," in particular, "the theft of American technologies and intellectual property."