For the first time, US President Joe Biden has 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 by journalists about his statement from the afternoon, 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.

Earlier, the US President spoke about rising consumer prices in a speech in Menlo, Iowa, saying: “Your family budget, your ability to fuel, none of it should depend on a dictator half the world away declaring war and genocide 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.

praise from Zelenskyj

Zelenskyj praised Biden's words.

"Calling things by their proper name is important if you want to stand up to evil," he wrote on Twitter.

In his video speech published that night, Zelenskyy reacted violently to Putin's statement the day before that the campaign was going according to plan.

What good is a plan that envisages the death of tens of thousands of your own soldiers, asked Zelenskyj.

He spoke of 20,000 Russian soldiers killed.

Western estimates are lower.

Zelenskyj said the Russian siege of the now largely destroyed southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol resembled the blockade of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) by the German Wehrmacht between 1941 and 1944 - one of the worst Nazi war crimes.

Fear of chemical weapons use

The Ukrainian President called for preventive steps against the possible use of weapons of mass destruction by Russia.

Zelenskyy referred to reports from Mariupol the day before that Russia had attacked there with an unidentified chemical substance.

The control authority OPCW in The Hague also expressed concern about this possible use of chemical weapons.

Zelenskyi also suggested exchanging the arrested pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk for Ukrainians in Russian captivity.

The politician and oligarch Medvedchuk is considered the closest ally of Kremlin chief Putin in Ukraine.

He is accused of high treason and embezzlement in Kyiv.

He was arrested by the Ukrainian secret service SBU on Tuesday.

Uncertainty about the situation at the front

Little was known about the actual events of the war on Wednesday night.

There were no other reports, either from the Ukrainian general staff or from the regional administration.

Russia attacked the neighboring country almost seven weeks ago and, according to Ukraine and Western governments, is preparing a major offensive in the east of the country.

However, the Russian military had withdrawn from the area around the capital Kyiv in the past few days.

Large-scale destruction, mass graves and corpses were found in the streets there.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) met with representatives of German business on Tuesday evening and then thanked them for supporting the sanctions policy against Russia because of the Ukraine war.

"Big thanks to the economy for the broad support," wrote Scholz on Twitter.

However, the companies had pointed out that there were already restrictions in the supply chains and difficulties due to high energy prices.

There is also concern that the war will cripple Ukraine's agriculture, which is one of the world's largest grain producers.

However, the Ukrainian government emphasized during the night that spring sowing had begun in almost all parts of the country, regardless of the fighting.

The exception is the contested eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, said Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal.

That's going to be important today

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin is visiting Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.

The topic is likely to be the possible NATO accession of both countries as a result of the Ukraine war.

At 2 p.m., the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, will speak via video link in the Leipzig City Council