Major Western media have misinterpreted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s response to the insults spoken by his American counterpart Joe Biden. This was announced on Thursday, March 18, by the REN TV channel.
Thus, a distorted translation appeared in articles by Bloomberg, Reuters, AFP, as well as the Financial Times.
Putin responded to Biden with a childish saying, “Whoever calls his name is called that.” Western media translated this phrase as “it takes one to know one”, which means “a fisherman sees a fisherman from afar.” Thus, Western journalists distorted the meaning of the phrase and created the impression that the Russian leader allegedly agreed with Biden’s words.
As REN TV specifies, in fact, the correct translation of the phrase that the President of the Russian Federation said is “I am rubber, you are glue. Bounces off me and sticks to you “, which translates as” I am rubber, you are glue. It bounces off me and sticks to you ”and has a close meaning to the childhood proverb that Putin used.
On the same day, the Russian president commented on Biden’s offensive accusations. In addition to the children’s saying, in his answer he wished the President of the United States health. Putin also noted that when we evaluate someone, we “always seem to look in the mirror.”
On the eve of March 17, Biden said that Russia must “pay the price” for its “interference” in the US elections. According to Biden, he had previously had a “long conversation” with Putin, noting that he knew him “quite well”. At the same time, he allegedly warned the Russian leader about a possible response.
Moscow criticized the statements of the American president. For example, the Kremlin expressed regret that “low-quality materials” are the reason for the next restrictions. As the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov said, this will harm “the already ailing Russian-American relations.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted that the line chosen by the American administration “does not add to the chances of normalizing relations” and the responsibility for the further deterioration of Russian-American relations rests entirely with the United States.
On March 20, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov will fly to Moscow for consultations. During the talks at the Russian Foreign Ministry and other departments, it is planned to discuss ways to straighten out the Russian-American ties that are in crisis.