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Biden, just back from a trip to Georgia and the Ukraine, said that Russian leaders are "clinging to something in the past," and dismissed Russia's claim to a sphere of influence extending to neighboring countries. “It’s a very difficult thing to deal with, loss of empire,” said Biden.

Sergei Prikhodko, the chief foreign policy adviser to President Medvedev, shot back: “The question is: who is shaping the U.S. foreign policy, the president or respectable members of his team?”

It wasn't immediately clear if Biden's aggressive, and extended, comments represented a broader change of U.S. tone or policy, and the White House hasn't offered any comment on the interview.