President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin demanding that Russia ‘take action’ on recent ransomware attacks in the US and said he will take ‘any necessary action’ to defend America.
During the hourlong call on Friday, Biden ‘underscored the need for Russia to take action to disrupt ransomware groups operating in Russia and emphasized that he is committed to continued engagement on the broader threat posed by ransomware,’ a readout from the White House states.
Biden ‘reiterated that the United States will take any necessary action to defend its people and its critical infrastructure in the face of this continuing challenge,’ the statement reads.
The call between the presidents came a week after the Russian-based hacker group REvil launched more cyber attacks. REvil struck Kaseya, an American software firm that provides services to more than 40,000 companies. worldwide. It stands as the biggest single global ransomware attack known in history.
Also last week, Russia’s SVR intelligence agency hacked the systems of a contractor for the Republican National Committee. Biden’s phone call follows criticism from conservatives who say his response to recent cyber attacks has been insufficient.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden made the call because he knew that ongoing conversations were needed after a face-to-face meeting with Putin in Geneva in June. One of the topics during the summit was addressing cyber attacks.
‘The president knew, even when they met in Geneva, that there would be a need for ongoing discussions and engagements,’ Psaki said during a press briefing on Friday afternoon. ‘I’m not going to give you a tone and tenor readout here.’
Biden made was insistent to Putin that ‘we reserve the right to take action’, Psaki said.
On Wednesday, Biden told reporters that ‘I will deliver’ a message to Putin on the string of ransomware attacks.
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