On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed United States (US) President Joe Biden’s decision to describe Russian atrocities committed during its six-week-long invasion of Ukraine as “genocide.”
“Calling things by their names is essential to stand up to evil,” said Zelensky as he commended Washington’s provision of weapons to Kyiv. He also urged the US to provide more “heavy weapons” to help Ukraine prevent additional atrocities.
Biden’s comments came during a speech in Iowa while addressing rising energy costs in the country. In the speech, Biden once again held Russian President Vladimir Putin directly responsible for increasing gasoline and food prices across the world. “Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank—none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide half a world away,” said Biden.
Russia-Ukraine: Joe Biden accuses Vladimir Putin of genocide pic.twitter.com/h1NW6ZpCzu
— Wittgenstein (@backtolife_2022) April 13, 2022
In this regard, the US President reiterated some of his efforts to curb the repercussions of the energy crisis. Biden said his decision to release one million barrels of oil per day for the next six months from Washington’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve will have a huge impact on energy prices for American consumers. Additionally, he noted that the government is planning to make available the E15 variant of gasoline, which is about 10 cents cheaper than the regular E10, throughout the summer.
Biden later elaborated on his use of the word “genocide” during a speech to reporters. The US President rationalised his description of Russian actions in Ukraine by saying, “It has become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be Ukrainian.” Explaining why he chose to change his stance on the matter since last week, Biden said that “evidence is mounting” against Russia, referring to the revelation of atrocities in Bucha.
Biden: I called it genocide because it has become clear that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be a Ukrainian pic.twitter.com/h4SBfDQuFW
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 12, 2022
Last week, Biden insisted against using the word “genocide” to describe Russia’s actions in Ukraine and instead called them “war crimes.” According to The Washington Post, senior members of the Biden administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, still haven’t used the word “genocide,” which indicates that the President may have taken an independent step. Ukraine, for its part, has asserted: “These are war crimes and will be recognised by the world as genocide.”
Biden’s latest decision comes in light of the US Department of Defence announcing a new $750 million military package for Ukraine that includes sophisticated machinery such as howitzer cannons, armoured Humvee, and protective equipment against chemical and nuclear attacks.