The Kremlin has slammed Joe Biden for calling Vladimir Putin a war criminal.
n an interview airing tonight on NBC, a sliver of which was previewed earlier, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy will tell news host Lester Holt that world war three “may have already begun”.
Joe Biden made brief comments at the White House, in response to a reporter’s question, calling Vladimir Putin a war criminal.
The US president pledged an extra $800 million for security assistance to Ukraine, out of the almost $14bn in aid for the embattled country that was passed by Congress last week and signed into law by Biden yesterday.
Joe Biden promised more arms for Ukraine in response to Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s speech to Congress – though no fighter jets.
During his address to the US Congress on Wednesday morning, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy unexpectedly paused to play a video prepared by his government – a graphic portrait of the Ukrainian people being assailed by the horrors of war.
And Putin says his war is going to plan. Here’s a brief round-up of some of the latest from the Reuters news agency:
Russian bombs rained down on Ukrainian cities on Wednesday, Ukrainian official said, despite talk of compromise from both Moscow and Kyiv in peace negotiations after three weeks of war.
Russian president Vladimir Putin said Moscow was ready to discuss neutral status for its neighbour but would still achieve the goals of its operation, which he said was “going to plan”.
But Putin acknowledged that Western sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its actions were hurting.
In Washington, US president Joe Biden called Putin a “war criminal”.
The US is not seeing Russia take any actions that would suggest progress in talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
Earlier, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said talks between Moscow and Kyiv were becoming “more realistic” and Russia’s foreign minister said proposals under discussion were “close to an agreement”.
On the 21st day of the conflict, Russian forces kept up their bombardments of besieged cities, including intensified shelling of the capital Kyiv.
And Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Biden’s characterization of Putin as a war criminal was “unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric”, Tass news agency said.
