Putin tells Biden ‘don’t be mad at the mirror if you’re ugly’ & accuses US of targeting Americans in free speech attack

, insisting his government isn't cracking down on internal dissent anymore than the US is currently doing.

He then pointed to the hundreds of arrests made in the wake of the January 6 riots, and the death of one rioter, Ashli Babbitt, as so-called proof the US also t.

"We have a saying: 'Don't be mad at the mirror if you are ugly,'" he said.

"It has nothing to do with you personally. But if somebody blames us for something, what I say is, why don't you look at yourselves? You will see yourselves in the mirror, not us."

Contrary to the Russian leader's claims, those arrested by the FBI after the insurrection have been charged a variety of criminal offenses, including trespassing and violent conduct, rather than for their political beliefs.

Still, he continued: "Did you order the assassination of the woman [Babbitt] who walked into the Congress and who was shot and killed by a policeman?"

"Do you know that 450 individuals were arrested after entering the Congress? And they didn't go there to steal a laptop. They came with political demands."

Elsewhere in the interview, Putin offered fond words for former President Donald Trump, who was accused throughout his four-year term of cozying up to the Russian leader.

"Mr. Trump is an extraordinary individual, talented individual. Otherwise, he would not have become US president," Putin said. "He is a colorful individual."

However, Putin added that there's a need for "predictability and stability" in Russia's relations with the United States.

"This is something we haven't seen in recent years," Trump said.

Biden and Putin are due to meet in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday.

The US President has remained tight-lipped on what he plans to discuss with Putin, though the recent spate of cyberattacks on American soil is thought to be top of Biden's agenda.

Speaking to the Russia-linked hacks, Putin denied all responsibility, insisting: "We have been accused of all kinds of things. Election interference, cyber attacks, and so on and so forth.

“And not once, not once, not one time, did they bother to produce any kind of evidence or proof. Just unfounded accusations.

"I'm surprised that we have not yet been accused of provoking the Black Lives Matter movement," he added.