HILLARY Clinton warned of "disastrous cyber consequences" if Joe Biden doesn't "push" Vladimir Putin to stop "ridiculing, undermining, and interfering" in US affairs.
During Wednesday's episode of , Clinton issued a stark prediction for the if isn't held accountable for the hack attacks on the and the .
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Ahead of Biden and Putin's bilateral meeting today, urged Biden to tell Putin that “ridiculing the , undermining us, allowing — as well as overseeing attacks — on our election structure, on our energy delivery system, on so much else, has to stop.”
"I'm sure that is looking at right now and saying: 'You know, Vlad, you know what we can do to you... You have to be prepared to face more serious consequences."
Clinton insisted that the had to start a process with Russia "where we don't slide into disastrous cyber consequences" as she pushed Biden to tell Putin to reign in the digital aggression.
She hoped Biden's meeting with Putin today brought about talks over nuclear arms, cybercrime, and a Geneva Convention-style agreement over "what's unacceptable when it comes to the use of cyberweapons."
During the Russia-focussed interview, the 2016 nominee also took aim at the and claimed that they idolized Putin's "macho" method of governance.
"There's a big flirtation by some on the right with the Putin model," she insisted. "They really resonate [with] the authoritarianism ... They find that macho approach to anything very attractive."
Clinton acknowledged that the "core of elected officials in our Congress will back up our president" after slamming the GOP.
She said that Biden would hopefully make it clearer to Putin that there would be "consequences" if the online hacking attacks continued, noting the cyber capabilities America had at its disposal.
Americans "have overwhelming cyber capabilities for offensive attacks," Clinton noted but added that "nobody wants to get into that tit-for-tat," noting the solution was to "keep pushing" Moscow until they "understand."
“Putin is the great disruptor," she went on. "He has a clear mission to undermine democracies, first and foremost, the United States.
Putin is the great disruptor. He has a clear mission to undermine democracies, first and foremost, the United States.
Hillary Clinton
"You take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution against enemies foreign and domestic.
"What we've seen over the last 4 years, and particularly since our election in 2020, is that we have people within our own country who are doing Putin's work."
Her comments come as Biden and Putin looked tense as they shook hands ahead of starting crucial talks in Geneva.
The Democrat and posed for pictures ahead of their summit at La Villa Grange.
It's expected that the leaders will discuss issues such as cyberattacks, Syria, Ukraine, and the global fight against Covid-19.
After the meeting - which is expected to last up to four or five hours - the president will then hold a press conference and address reporters.
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In March, Biden was asked if he believes in an interview with ABC. The president replied: "Mmm hmm, I do."
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when he was asked if he still thinks Putin is a "killer" and said the Russian leader is a "worthy adversary."
, telling Biden during an interview with NBC on Monday, "don’t be mad at the mirror if you’re ugly."