Ukraine war: Biden – “Putin has his back against the wall” – Politics abroad

US President Joe Biden (79) said in Washington on Monday that Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin (69) was “with his back to the wall”.

Biden reiterated warnings that Russia was considering using chemical weapons in the Ukraine war. Russia insists on the fabricated accusation that Ukraine has biological and chemical weapons. This is a clear sign that Putin himself is considering using such weapons, Biden said.

The US President also sees the Russian deployment of the fast “Kinzhal” missile as a sign of Russia’s weakness. “They just launched the hypersonic missile because it’s the only thing they can get through with absolute certainty,” Biden said on Monday evening (local time) in Washington. It is almost impossible to stop the rocket.

The Ukrainians would cause major damage to Russia’s tanks, helicopters or planes – even with the weapons of Western allies, said Biden. “And now Putin has his back against the wall.” The Russian President did not count on NATO’s unity. The more Putin has his back against the wall, the harder the tactics he uses become.



Vladimir Putin in Moscow at the end of FebruaryPhoto: Alexei Nikolsky/dpa

According to Russia, it had used the new weapon twice in Ukraine in the past few days. According to Russian information, the rockets, which are around eight meters long, fly extremely fast and extremely high, but remain manoeuvrable. They are therefore very difficult to intercept.

US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby did not directly confirm the deployment of the “Kischal” missile on Monday. “We have seen the Russians claim that they are using a hypersonic missile. We are unable to refute this claim, but neither are we able to independently verify it,” he said.

Biden warns companies of cyber attacks

US companies warned Biden that Russia could prepare cyber attacks on critical infrastructure (KRITIS).

Biden said companies have a “patriotic obligation” to protect their systems against such attacks. They could get state support if they wished, but the decision on this rests solely with the companies.

Based on intelligence information, the US government has “issued new warnings that Russia is planning a cyber attack against us,” Biden said.

The federal government warned US companies about Russian state hackers long before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Russia appoints US ambassador

Russia accused the United States of having brought bilateral relations “to the brink of collapse” – and summoned the US ambassador to Moscow.

Biden called Kremlin despot Putin a “war criminal” last Wednesday. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that these statements were “unworthy of a high-ranking statesman”, after the Kremlin had previously described the choice of words as “unacceptable and unforgivable”.

The US Ambassador John Sullivan was informed in a protest note that such comments endangered the relationship between the two countries. Washington was also warned that “hostile acts against Russia will be firmly and resolutely rejected.”

The US military says it supports efforts to document evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine. “We clearly see that the Russian armed forces are committing war crimes and are helping to collect evidence to support them,” said US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby. It is not for the US military leadership to decide what the outcome of such investigations will be.

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