The US President, followed by Canadian Trudeau, returns to the office against his Russian counterpart: “We will leave it up to the lawyers how we qualify him internationally, but what certainly strikes me as genocide.” French President: “I’m not sure escalating words will help the cause.” Zelenskyj: Macron’s cancellation is “very painful”. Moscow: “Unacceptable attempts to distort reality”
“I spoke of genocide because it is becoming increasingly clear that Putin is trying to erase the idea of being Ukrainian. US President Joe Biden returns to attack Russian President Vladimir Putin headon. To those who asked him if genocide was taking place in Ukraine, the White House tenant said: “We will let the lawyers decide how we qualify him internationally, but it certainly seems to me that it is” (WAR IN UKRAINE: THE SPECIAL LIVE UPDATES).Words that not only enrage Moscow and Beijing, but risk irritating European allies, alarmed by a possible further escalation of the crisis. “We can talk more and more about genocide,” he said instead, ahead of reporters, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Macron brakes on Biden’s words
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Allegations of genocide in Russia, Macron: They do not contribute to peace
Including Emmanuel Macron. “We have to be careful what they say,” is the French President’s dry comment, sending a clear message to Biden, even at the price of criticism from Kyiv. Because, explains the tenant of the Elysée, if what was unleashed by Russia was on the one hand “an aggression of unprecedented brutality, madness”, on the other hand it was “of dubious use” to keep raising the tone: “I’m observing the facts and I want to try as much as possible to stop this war and restore peace, so I’m not sure escalating words will serve the cause.
Zelensky’s applause
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Ukraine, intelligence services arrest proPutin oligarch Medvedchuk
Biden’s strong stance was instead well appreciated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: “True words from a true leader” for speaking for the first time about “genocide” in Ukraine. He then describes Macron’s refusal to denounce the genocide in Ukraine as “very painful”. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has already expressed its disappointment with Macron’s position today: “The reluctance of the French President to recognize the genocide of the Ukrainians, after all the explicit Statements by the Russian leadership and the actions of Russian army criminals is disappointing, said spokesman Oleg Nikolenko, quoted by UNIAN.
Putin: Negotiations at an impasse
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Chemical weapons, can Russia really use them in the war in Ukraine?
Meanwhile, concerns over allegations of chemical weapons use by Russian forces in Mariupol continue to grow. Inflamed eyes and mucous membranes, dry mouth, difficulty breathing, and palpitations are the most common symptoms. During the endless siege of Mariupol, where at least 21,000 people have died, according to the mayor’s latest estimate, the Russians also used phosphorus bombs. Toxic substances raining down from a drone aimed at the strategic port city’s defenders were increasingly crushed under the weight of the offensive. But Putin is not giving in. Negotiations he says are “at an impasse” because of the Ukrainians, and Russia will continue the war to achieve what has been its “noble” goal from the start: conquering the entire Donbass to protect the local Russian population ethnicity. And he rejects all allegations, dismissing the Bucha massacre as a “fake.”
The Moscow replica
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War in Ukraine, Zelenskyy: “This is genocide”
Moscow’s response to Biden’s words was not long in coming: “It is unacceptable that Biden is making similar allegations to President Putin,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, “especially because they come from the President of the United States, a country whose Actions in recent history are known. We are faced with unacceptable attempts to distort reality. While the Russian embassy in Washington urged the US government to “stop disinformation about the alleged use of chemical weapons by Russian forces: “We destroyed them in 2017.
Beijing accuses Washington of ‘stoking tensions’
And to support Moscow, Beijing is stepping back into the field, accusing the White House of “stoking tensions” while “any international effort should push for a solution to the crisis,” said State Department spokesman Zhao Lijian. But from Washington, it is the US Treasury Secretary who is urging China to use all its clout to stop Moscow: “The world’s attitude towards China and its readiness for further economic integration will depend on how Beijing responds to the crisis.” Call for decisive action Russia responds “.
World
War in Ukraine, who are Putin’s closest men?
The Russian president would consult with a small circle of allies and advisers, including longtime friends but also politicians and oligarchs
Russian President Vladimir Putin is often described as an increasingly isolated figure who makes decisions autonomously. However, the Kremlin boss also seems to be expecting one small advisory group and allies. It would be people he is faithful for decades and that they never gave him reason to doubt
It is not known exactly who is part of this group now, but at least up until last month, The Telegraph and other newspapers spoke of Nikolai Patrushev, Alexander Bortnikov and Sergei Naryshkin, who, along with Putin, have a past in the KGB
Patrushev is at the moment Secretary of the Security Council of Russia and it would have an impact on Putin that very few others would be able to measure. Patrushev himself replaced him at the head of the FSB in 1999, and for years he has believed that the West poses a threat to Russia, a position that has been reiterated recently and seems to be more shared by Putin’s inner circle.