WASHINGTON, February 22. /TASS/. The Russian embassy in Washington has sent a note of protest to the US Department of State over US President Joe Biden’s offensive remark about Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said.

"As soon as the Department of State got back to work this morning, we sent a harsh note of protest over the US leadership’s outrageous and unacceptable insult to the Russian president," the envoy said in a statement posted on the embassy’s Telegram channel.

A simple apology is unlikely to resolve the situation, Antonov pointed out. "Besides, the US authorities will not do that," the ambassador noted. "Strictly speaking, we don’t expect to see an appropriate reaction," Antonov said. "Escapades like this are becoming a routine occurrence" as the US presidential election draws near, he emphasized.

"We are confident that the US authorities’ unacceptable rhetoric only indicates ineptitude and a lack of common sense in their current Russia policy," the envoy added.