NBC American journalists have learned that US President Joe Biden in private conversations ascribes peculiar characteristics to politicians that are most consistent with their activities and interests.
According to sources, the American leader jokingly spoke about European allies, as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In private conversations, Biden describes Putin as “a guy with nuclear weapons and no friends.” It is reported by NBC News.
Biden administration officials and some pundits say the US and its allies are more closely aligned now than even just a few weeks ago. Amid the strengthening of relations, the American president jokes about some of his colleagues during private meetings. According to sources, Biden said that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is “not Angela Merkel.”
Also, NBC News sources say that the US president called the behavior of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson “tempered”. In turn, French President Emmanuel Macron also got it, who, according to Biden, “wants to be Charles de Gaulle.”
At the same time, Emily Horn, a spokeswoman for the US National Security Council, told NBC that these “anonymous rumors in no way reflect what the president says or thinks about his colleagues, whom he respects and appreciates.”
“President Biden is pleased with the exceptional cooperation between the United States and our European allies and partners, including in response to the ongoing crisis over the Russian military buildup on Ukraine’s borders,” Horne said.
