Kremlin Finds Rare Point of Agreement with Biden Over 'New World Order'

Russia unusually expressed agreement with the sentiments of U.S. President Joe Biden, as he called for a "new world order," although the Kremlin clearly has a very different structure and composition in mind.

During a wide-ranging speech on Friday, Biden referred to the war Vladimir Putin started in Ukraine, the conflict in Israel and tensions in the Taiwan Strait, where China is displaying belligerence.

"I think we have an opportunity to do things, if we're bold enough and have enough confidence in ourselves, to unite the world in ways that it never has been," Biden said. Describing "a post-war period for 50 years where it worked pretty damn well," he said that this has "run out of steam" and so there needs to be: "A new world order in a sense, like that was a world order."

Biden's comments sparked a rare moment of approval from the Kremlin, even if its vision of the global future is clearly at odds with the White House's.

"We absolutely agree with Mr. Biden," Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on Monday, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

"The world needs a new world order, based on completely different principles, free from attempts to concentrate all mechanisms of global governance in the hands of one state, free from attempts to impose its will.

"Because the United States, one way or another, no matter what order they talk about, they mean an American-centric one," said Peskov. "That is, a world that revolves around the United States. It won't be like that anymore." This chimes with Russian President Vladimir Putin's framing of the war in Ukraine as a battle between Moscow and the West.

Newsweek has contacted the White House by email for comment.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. has led sanctions aimed at isolating Russia from the world economy. Moscow has responded by dividing the world into "friendly" and "non-friendly" countries, offering more favorable trade terms for the former. Moscow has also turned toward American rivals, such as Iran and North Korea, for the weapons it needs to continue its fight in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Biden has compared the Russian leader with the Palestinian group that attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,400 people. It was followed by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, ahead of an expected ground invasion.

After a visit to Israel to express his support for the country to defend itself, Biden said last week that both "Hamas and Putin represent different threats but they share this in common—they both want to annihilate a neighbouring democracy."