Biden raises the tone against Putin: “He is a murderous dictator”

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, raised the tone on Thursday (17.3.2022) against his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, describing him as a “murderous dictator” who has authorized “inhuman” attacks against Ukraine. The US president spoke these words: “(Putin is) a murderous dictator, a pure thug who is waging an immoral war against the people of Ukraine,” said  the US president during a lunch in Congress, on the occasion of St. Patrick’s Day , patron saint of Ireland.

Shortly before, Biden also directly condemned the Russian president during a virtual meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Oval Office. “Putin’s brutality and what his troops are doing in Ukraine is simply inhumane,” Biden said. A day earlier, Biden first described Putin as a “war criminal,” something his spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, blamed on Russia’s “barbaric actions” during its invasion of Ukraine. 

Blinken: Russia’s attacks on civilians are ‘war crimes’

For his part, the head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, considered that Russia’s attacks against civilians in Ukraine constitute “war crimes”, and accused Moscow of not making “significant efforts” on the diplomatic front. 

“Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime. After all the destruction in recent weeks, it is hard for me to conclude that the Russians are doing the opposite,” Blinken said during a news conference, clarifying that the legal process for an indictment was still ongoing.

Warnings to China

On the other hand, Blinken reported that the US president will threaten his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, with retaliation if China “supports Russian aggression” against Ukraine, including sending military aid to Moscow, the Secretary of State said. . “We are concerned that they are planning to directly help Russia with military equipment that would be used in Ukraine.

President Biden will speak with President Xi tomorrow and will make it clear that China will take responsibility for any action to support Russia’s aggression. And we will not hesitate to impose costs on you,” Blinken told reporters.