(Des Moines) Joe Biden on Tuesday accused the Russian army of “genocide” in Ukraine, using this term for the first time to describe the situation in the country invaded by Moscow.
Posted at 5:37 p.m.
Updated at 6:41 p.m.
“Your family’s budget, your ability to fill up on gas, none of that should depend on a dictator declaring war and committing genocide on the other side of the world,” the president said. American during a trip to Iowa devoted to the fight against inflation.
Joe Biden then confirmed that he accused his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of “genocide” in Ukraine, a few hours after using this word for the first time to describe the situation in the country invaded by Moscow.
“Yes, I called it a genocide,” replied the American president to journalists during a trip to Iowa. “It’s increasingly clear that Putin is simply trying to erase the very idea of being a Ukrainian,” he added, saying the “evidence was piling up.”
Joe Biden lamented the additional inflationary spike caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, assuring that “70% of the price increase in March comes from (Vladimir) Putin’s gasoline price hike”.
The rise in consumer prices in March reached its fastest pace since December 1981, at 8.5% over one year, according to the consumer price index (CPI) published Tuesday by the Labor Department.
The Labor Department said in its statement that “the gasoline index rose 18.3% in March (compared to February) and accounted for more than half of the general price increase over one month”.
“Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has driven up gasoline and food prices around the world,” the Democratic president said.
The Republican opposition, in particular, criticizes Joe Biden for having an economic policy that fuels inflation.