Biden Gets Personal With Attacks On Putin

The Biden government has imposed sanctions on Putin himself, his daughters and several of his personal friends and top aides in an effort to pressure the Russian leader into invading Ukraine. Biden has also intensified his rhetoric with Putin, calling him a war criminal, saying he could not stay in power and, more recently, describing his actions as genocide on Tuesday.
The harsh rhetoric included moments without a script – such as when Biden, during a speech in Warsaw, Poland, called for the end of Putin’s rule in Russia. The White House was quick to back down from those comments, and Biden, who returned to the United States a few days later, said he was not pushing for a change in US policy. More recently, tough discussions have raised eyebrows abroad – and some tacit criticism. In an interview with France 2 television, French President Emmanuel Macron refused to use the term “genocide” when referring to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“I want to continue to try, as much as I can, to stop this war and rebuild peace. “I am not sure that an escalation of rhetoric serves this cause,” Macron said.
Biden has shown little sign of concern for any of his harsh comments, which analysts beyond Macron have at times criticized for potentially harassing Putin.
During a speech in Iowa on Tuesday, Biden lamented that Americans should not feel the blow to their wallets because “a dictator declares war and commits genocide half the world away.”
It was the first time that Biden or any American official had publicly referred to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the atrocities that emerged as genocide. Biden later made it clear that the observation was not an omission and a reflection of his indignation at Putin’s actions, although he indicated that no official decision on genocide had been made by the US government.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement on Wednesday that Biden would allow the necessary legal action over a possible genocide, but that he based his comments on emerging reports and information about what was happening in Ukraine. Psaki noted the horrors reported in Bucha, the bombing of a train station in Mariupol that left dozens of civilians dead, and a United Nations report that at least 4,450 civilians had been killed since Russia launched its invasion in mid-February. “We also saw, I think from the beginning, the Kremlin rhetoric and the Russian media denying the identity of the Ukrainian people,” Psaki said. “So the president was talking about what we all see, what he feels is clear as day as the horrors that are happening on the ground.” Evelyn Farkas, a top defense official for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia during the Obama administration, said Biden was likely to receive more information than was public – from Ukraine and US intelligence – something leading to some of his most vocal comments.
“The president has every right and should use his pulpit to make the assessments he considers accurate politically and geopolitically,” he said.
But Biden’s rhetoric has provoked some criticism.
“I’m concerned that the comments further diminish any prospects for diplomacy,” said Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
“Furthermore, I’m afraid that this government, like the previous one, is abusing the term genocide – applying it, for example, to the treatment of Uighurs by China. “It reduces the term and confuses mass murder – already quite bad – with the attempt to systematically exterminate a people,” he said. Psaki said Wednesday that the United States would always support peace talks and dismissed the idea that Putin would choose not to participate in the peace talks “because of some words that came out of the mouth of the president of the United States.” Farkas argued that there was no downside to Biden’s harsh rhetoric about Putin, noting that the United States should help Ukraine defeat Russia militarily in order to end the war.
“If I were Joe Biden, I would never want to shake Vladimir Putin’s hand again,” he said. He also said that Biden’s criticism of Putin could help unite the United States and its allies in supporting Ukraine. Indeed, a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found that more than 8 out of 10 Americans believe Putin is a war criminal.
The Kremlin responded Wednesday, calling the comment unacceptable and accusing Biden of hypocrisy. White House officials have blamed Putin for rising gas prices at home, arguing that the Russian leader is responsible for the instability in oil markets and the consequent cost hikes. And the administration has imposed sanctions not only on Putin but also on those closest to him. The government announced last week that it would freeze the assets of two of Putin’s adult daughters, Maria Putina and Katerina Tikhonova.
Previous sanctions have targeted Russian oligarchs and Kremlin officials who are allies and members of Putin’s inner circle as the United States seeks to increase pressure on him directly and turn public opinion against him to the Russian elite. In another possible blow to Putin personally, Ukraine announced on Tuesday the arrest of Viktor Medvedchuk, a close ally and friend of Putin, and posted a photo of him looking sloppy. Medvedchuk has previously led a pro-Moscow political movement in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom Biden spoke on Tuesday, praised the American statement that the Russian attacks were “genocide”, saying it was proof of true leadership. Videos show what led police officer to shoot a dead black man at Grand Rapids Hochul announces $ 16 million funding for hate crimes White House officials have dismissed rumors of a change of government or an end to the ousting of Putin’s ambassador, Lindsay Graham (RS.C.), to oust Putin and say that Poland came from a moral point of view. attack. Instead, it focused on punishing Putin and making Russia a global outcast. “I do not want an exit ramp for Vladimir Putin. “I do not think that’s our concern,” Ron Klein, White House Chief of Staff, told NBC Chuck Todd this week. “Our concern is to punish Russian aggression and to defend the rights of Ukrainians to have the future they deserve.”

title: “Biden Gets Personal With Attacks On Putin " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-22” author: “Christopher Miller”

The Biden government has imposed sanctions on Putin himself, his daughters and several of his personal friends and top aides in an effort to pressure the Russian leader into invading Ukraine. Biden has also intensified his rhetoric with Putin, calling him a war criminal, saying he could not stay in power and, more recently, describing his actions as genocide on Tuesday.
The harsh rhetoric included moments without a script – such as when Biden, during a speech in Warsaw, Poland, called for the end of Putin’s rule in Russia. The White House was quick to back down from those comments, and Biden, who returned to the United States a few days later, said he was not pushing for a change in US policy. More recently, tough discussions have raised eyebrows abroad – and some tacit criticism. In an interview with France 2 television, French President Emmanuel Macron refused to use the term “genocide” when referring to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“I want to continue to try, as much as I can, to stop this war and rebuild peace. “I am not sure that an escalation of rhetoric serves this cause,” Macron said.
Biden has shown little sign of concern for any of his harsh comments, which analysts beyond Macron have at times criticized for potentially harassing Putin.
During a speech in Iowa on Tuesday, Biden lamented that Americans should not feel the blow to their wallets because “a dictator declares war and commits genocide half the world away.”
It was the first time that Biden or any American official had publicly referred to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the atrocities that emerged as genocide. Biden later made it clear that the observation was not an omission and a reflection of his indignation at Putin’s actions, although he indicated that no official decision on genocide had been made by the US government.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement on Wednesday that Biden would allow the necessary legal action over a possible genocide, but that he based his comments on emerging reports and information about what was happening in Ukraine. Psaki noted the horrors reported in Bucha, the bombing of a train station in Mariupol that left dozens of civilians dead, and a United Nations report that at least 4,450 civilians had been killed since Russia launched its invasion in mid-February. “We also saw, I think from the beginning, the Kremlin rhetoric and the Russian media denying the identity of the Ukrainian people,” Psaki said. “So the president was talking about what we all see, what he feels is clear as day as the horrors that are happening on the ground.” Evelyn Farkas, a top defense official for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia during the Obama administration, said Biden was likely to receive more information than was public – from Ukraine and US intelligence – something leading to some of his most vocal comments.
“The president has every right and should use his pulpit to make the assessments he considers accurate politically and geopolitically,” he said.
But Biden’s rhetoric has provoked some criticism.
“I’m concerned that the comments further diminish any prospects for diplomacy,” said Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
“Furthermore, I’m afraid that this government, like the previous one, is abusing the term genocide – applying it, for example, to the treatment of Uighurs by China. “It reduces the term and confuses mass murder – already quite bad – with the attempt to systematically exterminate a people,” he said. Psaki said Wednesday that the United States would always support peace talks and dismissed the idea that Putin would choose not to participate in the peace talks “because of some words that came out of the mouth of the president of the United States.” Farkas argued that there was no downside to Biden’s harsh rhetoric about Putin, noting that the United States should help Ukraine defeat Russia militarily in order to end the war.
“If I were Joe Biden, I would never want to shake Vladimir Putin’s hand again,” he said. He also said that Biden’s criticism of Putin could help unite the United States and its allies in supporting Ukraine. Indeed, a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found that more than 8 out of 10 Americans believe Putin is a war criminal.
The Kremlin responded Wednesday, calling the comment unacceptable and accusing Biden of hypocrisy. White House officials have blamed Putin for rising gas prices at home, arguing that the Russian leader is responsible for the instability in oil markets and the consequent cost hikes. And the administration has imposed sanctions not only on Putin but also on those closest to him. The government announced last week that it would freeze the assets of two of Putin’s adult daughters, Maria Putina and Katerina Tikhonova.
Previous sanctions have targeted Russian oligarchs and Kremlin officials who are allies and members of Putin’s inner circle as the United States seeks to increase pressure on him directly and turn public opinion against him to the Russian elite. In another possible blow to Putin personally, Ukraine announced on Tuesday the arrest of Viktor Medvedchuk, a close ally and friend of Putin, and posted a photo of him looking sloppy. Medvedchuk has previously led a pro-Moscow political movement in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom Biden spoke on Tuesday, praised the American statement that the Russian attacks were “genocide”, saying it was proof of true leadership. Videos show what led police officer to shoot a dead black man at Grand Rapids Hochul announces $ 16 million funding for hate crimes White House officials have dismissed rumors of a change of government or an end to the ousting of Putin’s ambassador, Lindsay Graham (RS.C.), to oust Putin and say that Poland came from a moral point of view. attack. Instead, it focused on punishing Putin and making Russia a global outcast. “I do not want an exit ramp for Vladimir Putin. “I do not think that’s our concern,” Ron Klein, White House Chief of Staff, told NBC Chuck Todd this week. “Our concern is to punish Russian aggression and to defend the rights of Ukrainians to have the future they deserve.”