President Biden accuses Russian forces of committing “genocide” in Ukraine

*Paromita Das

As Russia continues its military operations in Ukraine, US Vice President Joe Biden has accused Russian forces of genocide in the country.

“Yes, I called it genocide,” Biden said, adding, “We’ll let the lawyers decide whether or not it qualifies internationally, but it sure seems that way to me.”

He claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was attempting to “eradicate the concept” of a Ukrainian identity.

Mr. Biden has previously avoided using the word “genocide,” instead accusing Moscow of “war crimes.”

Later, French President Emmanuel Macron told French television that he was hesitant to use the term and warned against a “escalation of rhetoric.”

In an interview with France 2, the French President stated that he would be “careful with such terms today because these two peoples are brothers.”

“I want to do everything I can to put an end to this war and rebuild peace. I’m not sure that escalating rhetoric helps that cause “He continued.

But, on Tuesday night, Mr. Biden insisted that evidence of genocidal acts by Russian troops was mounting.

“More evidence is emerging from the heinous things that the Russians have done in Ukraine,” the president said. “And we’ll only learn more about the devastation as time goes on. We’ll let the lawyers decide whether or not it qualifies on a global scale, but it certainly appears to me that it does.”

He first made the remarks as a side note during a speech about rising inflation in Iowa, telling supporters that their ability to budget should not “hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide half a world away.”

On February 24, President Vladimir Putin ordered a “special military operation” against Ukraine, but his forces were met with fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces, prompting Russia to declare that it will now concentrate its forces in the eastern part of Ukraine, in the Donbas area.
“It’s becoming clearer and clearer that Putin is simply attempting to eliminate the possibility of even being a Ukrainian,” the US president asserted.

Ukraine’s President Zelensky agreed with Biden, calling it “true words of a true leader.”

“Calling things by their names is critical in dealing with evil,” Zelensky said.

Meanwhile, Zelensky proposed exchanging Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk for Ukrainians detained by Russia.

“I propose to the Russian Federation that this guy of yours be exchanged for our boys and girls who are now in Russian captivity,” Zelensky said in a video message.

“And may Medvedchuk serve as a model for you. Even the ex-oligarch was not spared. What can we say about much simpler criminals from Russia’s outskirts? We’ll get them all “Ukraine’s president issued a warning.

Following the discovery of mass graves in the city of Bucha, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has not shied away from accusing Russia of genocide and “crimes against humanity,” said Mr Biden’s remarks were “true words of a true leader.”

 

“Calling things by their names is essential for standing up to evil,” Mr Zelensky tweeted.

The White House made a copy of Mr. Biden’s remarks available online.

Last month, US officials reacted angrily to remarks made by President Biden in Warsaw. He said of Mr Putin at the end of a speech in front of Polish government officials and dignitaries, “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”

 

In the face of a fierce backlash from the Kremlin, the US quickly issued a clarification. “The president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to wield power over his neighbours or the region,” a Biden administration official explained. “He wasn’t talking about Putin’s power in Russia or regime change.”

 

Genocide is widely regarded as the most serious crime against humanity, and it is defined by international law as the mass annihilation of a specific group of people.

 

While there is no legal consensus on whether Russia is to blame, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has called the killings in Bucha “acts of genocide.” Last week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that the attacks “do not appear to be far short of genocide.”