Blinken says Biden will give Putin warning on future cyberattacks

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview Sunday that President Biden’s upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is about the recent cyberattacks on U.S. soil. 

During an interview with “Axios on HBO,” Blinken said Biden will tell Putin “directly and clearly” that if the ransomware attacks towards the U.S. continues, he can expect the U.S. to take action. 

Blinken also said that the goal of the meeting with the two leaders was to have a “more stable relationship” between the two countries, according to Axios. 

“I can’t tell you whether I’m optimistic or not about the results,” Blinken said.  “I don’t think we’re going to know after one meeting, but we’ll have some indications. … We’re prepared either way.”

Biden and Putin are set to meet in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16, which would be the first time the two leaders have met since Biden became president.

The U.S. has been the target of two recent cyberattacks: at the Colonial Pipeline in May and at JBS Foods last week.