Russia-Ukraine war: Joe Biden brands Vladimir Putin a war criminal as Russia says mission 'going to plan'
Categories: FOREIGN COUNTRIES
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday (March 16, 2022) called Russian leader Vladimir Putin a war criminal in comments the Kremlin said were "unforgivable" as it insisted the war in Ukraine was "going to plan" amid talk of compromise at peace talks.Kremlin forces kept up their bombardments of besieged cities, including intensified shelling of the capital Kyiv, and civilians waiting in line for bread and sheltering in a theatre were killed, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials Moscow has yet to capture any of Ukraine`s biggest cities following its invasion that began on Feb. 24, the largest assault on a European state since World War Two, raising fears of wider conflict in the West.Putin on Wednesday said he would discuss neutral status for Ukraine and that what he calls a "special military operation" to demilitarize the country was "going to plan". Kyiv and allies say his actions are an unprovoked incursion, and more than 3 million Ukrainians have fled and hundreds have died. Ukraine still hopes for a diplomatic solution. President Volodymyr Zelensky said negotiations were becoming "more realistic" and Russia said proposals under discussion were "close to an agreement."The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said Russian forces had shot dead 10 people waiting in line for bread in Chernihiv, northeast of Kyiv. Russia denied the attack and said the incident was a hoax. Maxar Technologies, a private U.S. company, distributed satellite imagery that it said was collected on March 14 and showed the word "children" in large Russian script painted on the ground outside the red-roofed Mariupol Drama Theatre.Ukraine handed over nine captured soldiers to secure the freedom of the mayor of the city of Melitopol, who was detained last week, the Interfax Ukraine news agency quoted a senior official as saying on Wednesday. Russia has shifted its stance over the bombing that caused outrage around the world with a mix of statements that veered between aggressive denials and a call to establish clear facts.The U.N. Security Council is due to vote on Friday on a Russian-drafted call for aid access and civilian protection, but diplomats say the measure is set to fail because it does not push for an end to the fighting or withdrawal of troops.Zelenskiy has said Ukraine could accept international security guarantees that stopped short of its longstanding aim to join NATO. That prospect has been one of Russia`s primary concerns. Ukrainian forces have withstood an assault by a much larger army but the humanitarian toll is rising.Ukraine said about 20,000 people had escaped besieged Mariupol in cars, but hundreds of thousands remain trapped.Moscow said it had the money, and Washington would be to blame if it cannot pay.In his most explicit acknowledgment of the pain inflicted by Western sanctions, Putin said inflation and unemployment would rise, and structural changes to the economy would be needed.