Vladimir Putin has wished Joe Biden “good health” after the US leader called him a “killer” and vowed that Russia would “pay the price”.

Putin suggested that Biden may be projecting, noting that judging other countries “is like looking in a mirror.

”When I was a kid, when we were arguing with each other in the playground, we used to say, ‘Whatever you say [about others] is what you are yourself,’” Putin replied.

On Wednesday, Biden was asked by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos whether he thought Putin was “a killer,” and replied in the positive.

In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed Biden’s statement as “very bad,” accusing the White House of not being serious about “establishing a relationship” with Russia.

Biden’s latest comments describe a major escalation in the already declining relationship between Russia and the United States. On Wednesday evening, Russia recalled its ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, to discuss the Kremlin’s next steps.