Joe Biden has repeatedly called Putin a war criminal.


U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time that Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine amounts to genocide, as dictator Vladimir Putin said Russia would “rhythmically and calmly” continue its operation and achieve its goals.

Yes, I called it genocide because it has become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of being able to be Ukrainian and the evidence is mounting, Biden told reporters as he prepared to board Air Force One on Tuesday.

We’ll let the lawyers decide internationally whether or not it qualifies, but it sure seems that way to me, he added.


Putin: the war will continue

Putin on Tuesday used his first public comments on the conflict in more than a week to say Russia would “rhythmically and calmly” continue its operation, and expressed confidence his goals, including on security, would be achieved.

He vowed it would “continue until its full completion and the fulfillment of the tasks that have been set.”

For now, Putin’s forces are gearing up for a major offensive in the Donbas, where Russian-allied separatists and Ukrainian forces have been fighting since 2014, and where Russia has recognized the formerly planted by itself "separatists’ claims of independence.

Military strategists say Moscow believes local support, logistics and the terrain in the region favor its larger, better-armed military, potentially allowing Russia to finally turn the tide in its favor.