► Joe Biden accuses Vladimir Putin of “genocide”
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, confirmed on Tuesday April 12 that he accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of “genocide” in Ukraine, a few hours after using this word for the first time to describe the situation in the country invaded by Moscow.
Until then, the American administration had not pronounced this word, used by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. ‘It’s increasingly clear that Putin is simply trying to erase the very idea of being a Ukrainian’argued the American president to journalists during a trip to Iowa.
→ EXPLANATION. War in Ukraine: what are the differences between “genocide”, “crimes against humanity” and “war crimes”?
Washington also accuses Moscow of considering the use “chemical agents” in Mariupol, a strategic city besieged for more than 40 days by Moscow. The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, claimed to have“credible information” on the possibility of Russia using such products on the civilian population.
► The Boutcha massacre, “a fake” according to Putin
President Vladimir Putin continues to deny outright the massacre committed on civilians in the town of Boutcha, near kyiv. This is a « fake », hammered the head of the Kremlin on Tuesday. During a press conference, the Russian president assured that the offensive in Ukraine continues “calmly” to minimize losses, refusing to set a timetable.
→ REPORT. “Many rape victims do not want to talk”: in Boutcha, the dead are counted and the survivors are fed
For its part, kyiv confirms that the negotiations with Moscow are «extremelydifficult ». Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday denounced “hundreds of rape cases” observed in areas previously occupied by the Russian army, “including underage girls and very small children”.
► Volodymyr Zelensky offers to exchange Putin’s relative for Ukrainians
Volodymyr Zelensky proposed on Tuesday evening in Moscow to” to exchange “ Viktor Medvedtchou, a Ukrainian close to the Russian president, Ukrainians displaced in Russia.
MP and businessman Viktor Medvedchuk who had been on the run since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was arrested by Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday following a “special operation”. “I propose to the Russian Federation to exchange this man for our boys and girls who are currently in captivity in Russia”said the head of state in a video posted on Telegram.