Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said he'd be willing to hand wanted cybercriminals over to the United States if Washington did the same thing. President Biden, who will meet with Putin in Switzerland this week and is expected to urge his counterpart to go after cybercriminal organizations in Russia who conduct ransomware attacks, was later asked about the idea, and said he'd be open to an agreement if "in fact" the alleged U.S.-based hackers are "committing those crimes."
The question over whether individuals are committing crimes might be secondary, though. The real challenge facing a potential agremeent between the White House and the Kremlin is what constitutes a crime in the first place. As CNN's Bianna Golodryga and others pointed out, Putin and Biden have different views on "what qualifies as criminal," citing the former's crackdown on Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny and his supporters as a prime example.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - September 17, 2024Tuesday's cartoons - another assassination attempt, radical policies, and more
-
Flooding in Central Europe leaves at least 17 deadSpeed Read Storm Boris hit Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria
-
Suspect lurked 12 hours at Trump course, fired no shotsSpeed Read Ryan Routh, 58, did not have Trump in his line of sight when the Secret Service apprehended him
-
Trump assassination attempt: do former presidents need more protection?Today's Big Question Secret Service director says 'paradigm shift' needed after second Trump attack sparks calls for more resources
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
-
The killing of an American in the West Bank could strain US-Israeli relationsThe explainer Is the growing outcry from the Biden administration over the IDF killing of American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi a prelude to changes in US foreign policy in the region?
-
How might the GOP's Afghanistan report impact the presidential race?Today's Big Question House Republicans are blaming the Biden administration, but the White House is pushing back
-
Ukraine hits Moscow with large drone attackUkraine's strike was the biggest drone attack on the Russian capital to date
-
DOJ charges 2 Russians for funding US far-right mediaSpeed Read Russia is running disinformation campaigns to influence US politics ahead of the 2024 election, officials say
-
Russian strike kills at least 51 in UkraineSpeed Read Two Russian missiles struck a military academy and hospital in the Ukrainian city of Poltava
-
Who will win the 2024 presidential election?In Depth Election year is here. Who are pollsters and experts predicting to win the White House?
