Genocide. This meaningful word used for the first time by the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, at the beginning of April, after the discovery of several dozen bodies of civilians massacred in Boutcha, near kyiv, is now found in the speeches of his allies. After the Polish and Spanish Prime Ministers, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday accused Vladimir Putin of carrying out genocide in Ukraine, during a speech devoted to the fight against inflation (+8.5% in March) .
Already the author of a tough outing at the end of March, where the Democrat had compared his Russian counterpart to a butcher, the use of the word “genocide” instead of “war crimes” illustrates the new pressure put by the States- United on Russia at the dawn of its great offensive in the Donbass. “Yes, I called it genocide,” confirmed Joe Biden to reporters during a trip to Iowa, a few hours after mentioning this term. “It is increasingly clear that Putin is simply trying to erase the very idea of being able to be a Ukrainian”, developed the American president. If “the lawyers, at the international level”, will decide on the qualification of genocide, “for me, it looks like it”, he assured.
The Ukrainian president praised on Twitter the “true words of a true leader”, because “calling things by their name is essential to oppose evil”, while calling “urgently for more heavy weapons”.
Asked this Wednesday morning on France 2 about Joe Biden’s statements, Emmanuel Macron replied that he wanted to be “careful with the terms”. “I would say that Russia unilaterally launched a brutal war, that it is now established that war crimes were committed by the Russian army and that now we must find those responsible,” he said. he explained. Before adding “do not [être] sure that the escalation of words serves the cause”.
Vladimir Putin, he described as “fake” (false) the information accusing his soldiers of having massacred hundreds of civilians in Boutcha.
- At least 20,000 dead in Mariupol
On the ground, the situation continues to deteriorate. Between 20,000 and 22,000 people died in the city of Mariupol, Pavlo Kirilenko, Ukrainian governor of the Donetsk region, said on Tuesday in an interview with the American television channel CNN. He admitted that it was however “difficult to mention a number of victims”, the city being the subject of a blockade. The city, besieged, has been cut off from the world and bombarded for more than 40 days.
“The only special operation that Putin has carried out is a special operation to destroy Mariupol and kill civilians,” Vadym Boychenko, mayor of the city, launched on Telegram overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. Taking Mariupol would allow the Russians to consolidate their territorial gains on the coastal strip along the Sea of Azov, linking the Donbass region to Crimea.
- Washington accuses Moscow of considering the use of “chemical agents” in Mariupol
The United States reported on Tuesday, through the voice of the head of diplomacy Antony Blinken, “credible information” on the possibility that Russia will use “chemical agents” in its offensive to take Mariupol. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has expressed concern over allegations of chemical weapons use in Mariupol.
- Zelensky holds close to Putin and wants prisoner swap
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered Tuesday night in Moscow to “exchange” Ukrainian MP Viktor Medvedchuk, close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and recently arrested, for Ukrainians in captivity in Russia. The Ukrainian authorities had earlier in the day announced the arrest of this 67-year-old businessman, on the run since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Viktor Medvedchuk is, according to Forbes magazine, the 12th fortune of Ukraine in 2021 with 620 million dollars. He is known for his links with Russian President Vladimir Putin who is, according to the person concerned, the godfather of one of his daughters.
- German president persona non grata in Kyiv
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, criticized for his relations maintained in recent years with Russia, said on Tuesday that he had considered visiting Ukraine with other heads of state but had been rejected by from Kyiv.
- 23.7 billion euros of Russian assets immobilized by France
France has to date immobilized 23.7 billion euros of Russian assets on its territory, including real estate for an acquisition value of 573.6 million, following the war in Ukraine, according to the ministry. French for Economics and Finance. This updated list includes in the first place 22.8 billion euros which have been blocked in the French accounts of the Central Bank of Russia, confirming an article in the newspaper The Parisian. Added to this are 178 million euros in various bank assets, details the ministry.
France has also immobilized four freighters, four yachts, including the last Tuesday in Marseille, for a value of more than 125.2 million euros; six helicopters worth more than 60 million euros; and for 7 million euros of works of art.