The Kremlin has accused US President Joe Biden of adopting a “Hollywood cowboy” demeanor after he referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “crazy SOB” during a campaign event. Biden made the comment during a speech in San Francisco focused on climate change as a global threat. While discussing the existential threat posed by climate change to humanity, Biden briefly mentioned Putin, stating, “We have a crazy SOB like that guy Putin, and others, and we always have to worry about nuclear conflict, but the existential threat to humanity is climate.”

On Thursday, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov downplayed the insult, noting that such statements were unlikely to impact the Russian president. However, Peskov criticized Biden’s remarks, stating, “It is clear that Mr. Biden is demonstrating Hollywood cowboy behavior to serve domestic political interests.”

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of Putin, offered a more critical assessment of Biden’s comments. Medvedev argued that the real existential threat is not climate change but “useless old geezers” like Biden, who he claimed have become senile and are ready to instigate a war against Russia.

Biden, who is seeking a second term in the upcoming presidential election, has a history of using strong language. In January 2022, he was caught on a live microphone referring to a Fox News reporter as a “stupid son of a bitch” during a public appearance in Washington.