Putin Says He Will Press Biden For ‘Human Rights’ Of Capitol Rioters At Meeting

Russian President Vladimir Putin will reportedly press President Joe Biden on the “human rights” of Capitol rioters during their upcoming meeting in Geneva, according to a top Russian diplomat.

Putin isn’t the only Russian politician advocating on behalf of the rioters. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov believes the rioters are being “persecuted.”

During a press conference on Monday in Moscow, Lavrov said: “We are ready to talk, we have no taboo topics. We will discuss whatever we think is necessary. We will be ready to answer the questions that the American side will raise. This also applies to human rights. For example, we are following with interest the persecution of those persons who are accused of the riots on January 6 this year.”

Lavrov also said that in the U.S., “a lot of really interesting things are happening from the point of view of the rights of the opposition and protecting those rights.”

The Jan. 6 insurrection delayed certification of Biden’s electoral victory and the deaths of six people. Former President Donald Trump was impeached for inciting the riots though the Senate eventually acquitted him.

The FBI is still attempting to locate many riot participants. Nonetheless, some GOP critics claim the defendants are merely guilty of trespassing inside the building.

The riots resulted in multiple casualties, some of whom were Trump supporters, such as Ashli Babbitt, 36, who was shot by a police officer after trying to climb into the House Speaker’s Lobby.

The upcoming meeting between Biden and Putin will likely be a tense event, as it follows a rocky period of U.S.-Russia relations. Recently, there has been suspicion surrounding cyber-criminals residing in Russia who launched ransomware attacks against U.S. companies.