U.S. President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin will face consequences for directing efforts to swing the 2020 U.S. presidential election to Donald Trump, and that they would come soon.
"He will pay a price," Biden told ABC News in an interview that aired on Wednesday. Asked what consequences would come, he said, "You'll see shortly."
His comments come after a 15-page American intelligence report released on Tuesday bolstered longstanding allegations that Putin was behind Moscow's election interference, an accusation Russia called baseless.
At the same time, Biden noted that "there's places where it's in our mutual interest to work together" such as renewing the START nuclear agreement, adding that the two leaders have a known history.
"I know him relatively well," Biden said, adding that "the most important thing dealing with foreign leaders in my experience ... is just know the other guy."
Of Putin, Biden said he does not think the Russian leader has a soul. Asked if he thought Putin was a killer, he told ABC: "I do."
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia was taking all necessary measures to ready itself for new U.S. sanctions, which are expected to follow the publication of the report.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the allegations baseless and said they were not backed by any evidence.
They would further harm bilateral relations, he said.
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