Russia on Friday hit back at President Biden after he called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “murderous dictator.”
In a St. Patrick’s Day address Thursday, Biden said countries were “standing together against a murderous dictator, a pure thug who is waging an immoral war against the people of Ukraine.”
The comment came after Biden told a reporter he thought Putin was a “war criminal.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the “personal insults” on Friday during a conference call, The Washington Post reported.
“Given Mr. Biden’s irritability, his fatigue and sometimes forgetfulness … which ultimately leads to aggressive statements, we probably will not give any sharp assessments so as not to cause more aggression,” Peskov stated.
Biden’s comments on Putin come as Russian airstrikes have hit schools, hospitals, theaters and residential buildings in its attack on Ukraine.
Thousands have died in the more than three weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, but Russian forces have been stalled and unable to capture any big cities so far.
Russia has increased its air attacks on Ukraine, with more than 1,000 missiles launched since the end of February.
More than 3 million Ukrainians have fled the country since the war began, causing the biggest migration crisis in Europe since World War II.