3 years ago
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President Joe Biden on Wednesday called Vladimir Putin a “war criminal.”
It was a notable shift for Biden and the first time he has labeled his Russian counterpart’s actions in Ukraine in such a way. The president, who has skirted the questions on whether Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine and often refers to ongoing investigations, didn’t mince his words on Wednesday.
“He is a war criminal,” Biden told reporters.
The comment followed Biden’s announcement earlier on Wednesday that the U.S. would send an additional $800 million in military aid to Ukraine. His commitment to more aid, which brings the total to $1 billion allocated to the country this week, came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered an emotional address to Congress. Zelenskyy pleaded with the U.S. and its NATO allies to do more to help his country, whether by enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine or sending jets to aid in its war against Russia.
Biden, during Wednesday’s speech, addressed the nature of the “difficult battle” Ukrainians have faced in the three weeks since Russia launched its assault.
“The American people will be steadfast in our support of the people of Ukraine in the face of Putin’s immoral, unethical attacks on civilian populations,” Biden said. “We are united in the abhorrence of depraved onslaught, and we are going to continue to have their backs as they fight for their freedom, their democracy, their very survival.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was pressed on Biden’s directness and on what changed his assessment of Putin’s attacks during Wednesday’s press briefing. Psaki acknowledged that a legal process was underway at the State Department, which is documenting and compiling information about the attacks on Ukrainian civilians to reach a conclusion.
“He was speaking from his heart and speaking from what he’s seen on television, which is barbaric actions by a brutal dictator through his invasion of a foreign country,” Psaki said of Biden’s calling Putin a war criminal.
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