Biden: Russia working ‘to whittle away at the edges’ of Europe

Vice President Biden on Wednesday accused the Kremlin of working to weaken Europe and the post-World War II international order, Bloomberg Politics reports.

“Under President Putin, Russia is working with every tool available to them, to whittle away at the edges of the European project, test the fault lines among Western nations and return to politics defined by spheres of influence,” Biden said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in a direct rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In his speech, the vice president reaffirmed U.S. support for NATO, despite President-elect Donald Trump’s claims that the treaty organization is “obsolete.” Biden also slammed the Kremlin for using cyberattacks and misinformation campaigns to undermine democracies, warning that Russia would likely try to influence European elections.

{mosads}“It is a sacred obligation that we have embraced that an attack on one is an attack on all,” Biden said. “That can never be placed in question.”

Biden’s comments come just days before Trump is set to take the oath of office. The president-elect has taken a softer tone on Russia and has spoken fondly of Putin, at one point saying that the Russian president was “doing a better job” than President Obama.