Status: 03/16/2022 10:07 p.m
Clear words from President Biden – which the US government had previously avoided in sharpness: Russia’s President Putin is a “war criminal”. Biden also released more military aid to Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden has sharply attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin: he was “a war criminal,” Biden told journalists. The US government has always avoided speaking directly of Russian war crimes. When asked why Biden changed his choice of words, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: “He spoke from his heart and based on what he saw on television – which is the barbaric actions of a brutal dictator through his invasion of a foreign country.”
In a first reaction from the Kremlin, it was said that Biden’s choice of words was unacceptable: “We consider such rhetoric to be unacceptable and unforgivable on the part of a head of state whose bombs have killed hundreds of thousands of people around the world,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Jessica Briegmann, ARD Washington, on US support for Ukraine
night magazine 00:20 a.m., 17.3.2022
More military aid promised
The US President also again promised massive military aid for Ukraine. An $800 million aid package includes anti-aircraft missiles, drones and thousands of anti-tank weapons. With the help of the new anti-aircraft missiles, the Ukrainians could continue to “stop Russia’s planes and helicopters” and defend Ukrainian airspace, Biden said. The US would also help Ukraine to get even longer-range anti-aircraft systems that can reach targets at higher altitudes.
The US government has already pledged $1.35 billion worth of military aid and arms supplies to Ukraine since Russia’s war of aggression began about three weeks ago. Since the beginning of last year, US aid has totaled two billion dollars. The US military has trained Ukrainian soldiers and provided them with equipment and modern weapons. Among them were anti-aircraft missiles of the “Stinger” type and anti-tank guided missiles of the “Javelin” type.