For the first time: US President Joe Biden last night (Wednesday) sharply attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him a “dictator” and accusing him of genocide in Ukraine.
Biden made the remarks during a speech at a gas station in Iowa, in which he said “the ability of Americans to pay for gasoline should not depend on whether a dictator declares war and” commits genocide “half a world away.”
Later, just before boarding the Air Force 1 to return to Washington, he told reporters: “I called it genocide because it is becoming increasingly clear that Putin is simply trying to erase the idea of being Ukrainian, and the evidence is piling up.” He added: “We let the lawyers decide at the international level whether it is qualified or not, but it definitely seems that way to me,” he said.
The war in Ukraine: heavy damage to the besieged Mariupol following the shelling by the Russians (Photo: Reuters)
As you may recall, last night US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken referred to reports that Russia had used chemical weapons against Ukrainian citizens in the besieged city of Mariupol. Blinken said that “at the moment the US is unable to confirm whether the reports are credible.”
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Blinkan referred to the remarks made by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zalansky, who warned that the fighting could enter a “new phase of terrorism”, in the shadow of reports that some people suffered from symptoms of chemical poisoning, including respiratory failure, after Russian forces sprayed an unknown substance on Mariupol. “We take this very seriously,” Zlansky said. Although he did not authorize a chemical attack, he noted that pro-Russian separatists had called for the use of such a weapon.
As you may recall, the UK and US have already announced that following the reports each will investigate the matter, with the British Foreign Secretary saying that “Putin and his regime are responsible if such weapons were indeed used. In addition, officials in the UK warned Russia that “all possibilities will be in place in response to the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.”