Welcome to Pushback. I'm Erin Matte. Joining me is Noam Chomsky. His latest book is called Chomsky

for activists. Noam, welcome to pushback. Glad to be with you. I want to start by asking you

about the latest in U.S.-Russia relations. Joe Biden entered office.

His first major foreign policy decision was very welcome, I think.

He immediately renewed the New START Treaty, which Trump had almost killed.

We were just weeks away from it expiring.

But then we've seen a return to the traditional bellicose rhetoric, new sanctions on Russia.

Recently, the U.S. intelligence community came out with this report accusing Russia of

waging an interference operation in 2020, similar to what it accused Russia of in 2016.

Then Joe Biden gives this interview where he calls Putin a killer, says that he has no soul.

I wouldn't mean a wise guy. I was alone with him in his office. That's how it came about. It was when

President Bush had said, I've looked in his eyes and saw a soul. I said, look to your eyes,

and I don't think you have a soul. So you know Vladimir Putin, you think he's a killer?

Mm-hmm.

I do.

So what price must he pay?

The price he's going to pay, well, you'll see shortly.

And Russia has responded by now recalling the Russian ambassador to the U.S.

I'm just wondering your thoughts on all this and the role that Russia has been playing

in U.S.

domestic politics for a long time now?

Well, of course, since the 1940s, the alleged threat of Russia has been the core element of U.S. foreign policy.

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