Joe Biden

Biden Denounces Putin as a ‘War Criminal'

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President Joe Biden on Wednesday called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal as the atrocities in Ukraine mount and the president there begged the U.S. Congress for more help.

“He’s a war criminal,” the president said of Putin as he left an unrelated event. It’s the sharpest condemnation yet of Putin and Russian actions by a U.S. official since the invasion of Ukraine.

While other world leaders have used the words, the White House had been hesitant to declare Putin’s actions those of a war criminal, saying it was a legal term that required research.

But in a speech Wednesday, Biden said Russian troops had bombed hospitals and held doctors hostage. He pledged more aid to help Ukraine fight Russia.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an emotional appeal to Congress for more aid as his country fights off Russia’s invasion.

This is a live update. Click here for complete coverage of the crisis in Ukraine.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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