US President Joe Biden has for the first time explicitly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “genocide” in view of the atrocities in Ukraine.
"I called it genocide because it's becoming increasingly clear that Putin is just trying to erase the idea of being Ukrainian at all," Biden said late Tuesday during a visit to the US state of Iowa.
In the afternoon, Biden had already spoken of genocide in connection with the Ukraine war – albeit less clearly.
Asked about his statement from the afternoon by journalists traveling with him, Biden continued: “The evidence is piling up.
It looks different than last week.
There is literally more and more evidence coming to light about the horrible things that the Russians have done in Ukraine.” Ultimately, international jurists would have to decide whether or not it was genocide, but it looks like it to him, he said Bid further.
end of restraint
The US President previously spoke about rising consumer prices in a speech in Menlo, Iowa, saying: "Your family budget, your ability to refuel, none of it should depend on a dictator declaring war halfway around the world and... The US government and its allies are doing everything they can to prevent Putin from using his energy resources as a weapon against American families, families in Europe and around the world, Biden said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russian troops of genocide over atrocities against civilians.
The US government had so far held back on this point.
US President Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, said at the weekend that the atrocities that recently became known, including in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, were clearly war crimes.
However, Sullivan avoided the question of whether it was also genocide.