(Washington) US President Joe Biden denounced Russia’s “unjustified attack” on Ukraine on Wednesday evening, after his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin announced a “military operation” to defend the separatists in the east of the country. .
Updated at 0:51
“President Putin has chosen (to launch) a premeditated war that will cause catastrophic human suffering and loss,” Biden said in a statement. “Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will cause,” he insisted.
Mr. Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the White House announced at the same time.
“President Zelensky contacted me and we just finished talking,” Joe Biden said in a statement from the White House.
“I condemned this unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces”, continues the American president after the announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin of a “military operation” by Russia in Ukraine.
Joe Biden also points out that Volodymyr Zelensky asked him “to urge world leaders to clearly denounce President Putin’s blatant aggression, and to stand with the people of Ukraine”.
The president of the United States, who specified that he would speak Thursday on the “consequences” for Russia of this announcement and would meet the same day with his counterparts of the G7, also promises to impose significant sanctions against Russia.
“We will continue to provide support and assistance to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” concludes Joe Biden.
Several American elected officials on both sides have castigated Mr. Putin’s decision.
Democratic Senator Mark Warner, head of the Intelligence Committee, urged the United States and NATO to be “united” in dealing with “Putin’s attempts to revive the Russian empire at the expense of the Ukrainian people”.
“For more than 70 years we have avoided full-scale war in Europe. With his illegal invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin tragically ended decades of general peace,” he wrote.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney called on the United States and its allies to “protect freedom” by subjecting “Putin and Russia to the toughest economic sanctions, expelling them from global institutions and committing ourselves to the expansion and to the modernization of our national defence.