‘Takes one to know one’: Putin mocks Biden over 'killer' comment

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday mocked Joe Biden for calling him a "killer" — saying "it takes one to know one" — as ties between Moscow and Washington sank to new lows.

US President Biden's comments sparked the biggest crisis between Russia and the United States in years, with Moscow recalling its ambassador for consultations and warning that ties were on the brink of outright "collapse", according to AFP.

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But speaking during an event marking seven years since Russia's annexation of Crimea, Putin ruled out severing ties with the United States altogether and lobbed a jab at the 78-year-old US leader.

US President Joe Biden talks at the event. File photo

"We always see in another person our own qualities and think that he is the same as us," Putin said, referring to Biden's "killer" comment.

"It takes one to know one," Putin added, citing a saying from his Soviet-era childhood in Saint Petersburg.

Putin added that he wished Biden health. "I'm saying this without irony, not as a joke."

Later on Thursday, Putin invited Biden to hold a live online conversation either on Friday or Monday.

He said it would be an "open direct discussion" that would be "interesting" for the people of Russia and the United States.

In the interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Biden said Putin would "pay a price" for trying to undermine his candidacy in the US election in 2020.

Asked if he thought Putin was "a killer", Biden replied: "I do."