Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that President’s Biden’s comments on Russian President Vladimir Putin committing a “genocide” in Ukraine were “unacceptable,” according to multiple news outlets.
The Washington Post and The Financial Times reported Peskov’s comments from a press briefing where he also said that Russian officials “categorically disagree” with the characterization by Biden. He added that it is “unacceptable to attempt such a distortion of the situation.”
Biden made the remark when discussing recent efforts to address higher gas prices caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine while in Menlo, Iowa. He later said it was his belief that Putin’s actions constitute genocide during an exchange with reporters, but added that his lawyers would make the ultimate determination.
“It’s become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of being Ukrainian,” Biden said. “The evidence is mounting.”
Ukraine accused Russia of genocide earlier this month after it said Russian troops deliberately killed civilians in the town of Bucha. The exchange comes a week after Russian missiles struck a train station in Ukraine, killing more than 50 people, and horrific images of civilian bodies in the streets circulated on social media.
Russia, however, has denied the allegations and said Kyiv was fabricating evidence to frame Russian troops in an effort to illicit support from the West.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also released a report on Wednesday that found Russia’s assault on Ukraine has included “clear patterns” of international humanitarian law violations.
This is not the first time the Kremlin has pushed back on statements by the U.S. president.
Last month, Peskov said Biden’s comments calling Putin a “war criminal” were “unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric on the part of the head of a state whose bombs have killed hundreds of thousands of people around the world,” according to Russian state news agency TASS.
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