Biden says U.S. will not hesitate to raise the cost on Russia, calls for Navalny's immediate release

President Joe Biden warned Moscow on Thursday that the United States will not hesitate to raise the cost on Russia and defend American interests in his first major foreign policy address since taking office.

„I made it very clear to President Putin in a manner very different from my predecessor that the days of the United States rolling over in the face of Russian aggressive actions, interfering with our elections, cyberattacks, poisoning its citizens, are over,“ Biden said.

„We will not hesitate to raise the cost on Russia and defend our vital interests and our people, and we will be more effective in dealing with Russia when we work in coalition and coordination with other like minded partners,“ the president said.

Biden called for the release of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who was detained in Moscow last month and sentenced to more than two years in prison. Navalny was poisoned last year and spent months recuperating in Germany. He blames the Kremlin for his poisoning.