Vice President Joe Biden warned Wednesday that the “liberal international world order” is at risk of collapse, using his final speech to global leaders to frame the stakes on the world stage as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office.
Biden urged leaders in Europe and the U.S. to defend democracies against dangers that he said include Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden, in remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland reported by CNBC, said Putin “has a different vision of the future,” and he accused the Russian leader of trying to “roll back decades of progress.”
“Russia is working with every tool available to them to whittle away at the edges of the European project, test for fault lines among Western nations, and return to a politics defined by spheres of influence,” Biden said.
Russia has been accused of meddling in the 2016 presidential election through the hack and release of Democratic documents.
Biden also said the top 1% are not paying their fair share, causing social instability to rise. “We need to tap into the big heartedness,” Biden said. “This is a moment to lead boldly.”
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