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Macron refuses to follow Biden and calls Russia’s actions in Ukraine “genocide.” Emmanuel Macron

Emmanuel Macron refused to follow Joe Biden’s example, describing Russia’s actions in Ukraine as genocide, arguing that “escalating words” would not help bring peace.

The French president’s remarks provoked an angry reaction from Kyiv, especially his obvious argument that the term “genocide” does not apply because Ukrainians and Russians are “brotherly people.”

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko called Macron’s remarks disappointing.

“Brotherly” people do not kill children, do not shoot at civilians, do not rape women, do not mutilate the elderly and do not destroy the homes of other “brotherly” people. “Even the strongest enemies do not commit atrocities against defenseless people,” Nikolenko said.

Biden accused Moscow of committing genocide late Tuesday, saying “Putin is simply trying to erase the idea of ​​even being Ukrainian.”

“And the evidence is growing,” he said. “There is more evidence of the terrible things the Russians have done in Ukraine. And we will only learn more and more about the devastation. We will leave the lawyers to decide internationally whether he meets the requirements or not, but I definitely think so. “

US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Michael Carpenter made it clear on Wednesday that the president’s comments did not represent a formal US legal position. Carpenter said Biden had made a “clear moral decision”, but added that a legal review was under way and that “it will take some time to complete”.

Asked to comment on Biden’s accusation of genocide, Macron said it was clear that the Russian army had committed war crimes, but added: “Today I am reasonable with the conditions.

“Genocide matters. “The Ukrainian people and the Russian people are fraternal peoples,” he said. “What is happening today is crazy. This is incredible brutality and a return to the war in Europe. But at the same time, I look at the facts and I want to keep trying to stop the war and restore peace. I’m not sure if the escalation of words serves our cause. “

Another US ally, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, also stopped using the term “genocide” on Wednesday, although he said Putin should be held accountable for war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine.

Biden has consistently been outspoken in exposing Russian mass killings of Ukrainian civilians, describing Putin as a “war criminal” in mid-March. There have been numerous investigations into Russian atrocities in Ukraine, including the destruction of Mariupol and the execution of civilians in the Kiev suburb of Bucha.

International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan visited Bucha on Wednesday, saying “Ukraine is a crime scene”, adding that “there are reasonable grounds to believe that crimes are being committed by the court’s jurisdiction”.

The three categories of crimes under the jurisdiction of the ICC in Ukraine are war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The fourth crime, waging an aggressive war, has been ruled out by Khan under ICC rules, as neither Ukraine nor Russia are parties to the lawsuit. The Ukrainian government and some international lawyers have called for a special tribunal to try Putin and his regime for the crime of aggression.

Proving a case under the 1948 Genocide Convention requires “intent [by the accused] to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group ”.

Biden first used the word in passing on Tuesday at an Iowa domestic policy event on the use of ethanol in gasoline.

“Your family budget, your ability to fill your tank, none of this should depend on a dictator declaring war and committing genocide in half the world,” he said.

Asked later if he intended to apply the term to Russian actions in Ukraine, Biden told reporters: “Yes, I called it genocide because it is becoming increasingly clear that Putin is simply trying to erase the idea of ​​even being Ukrainian.

His comments were quickly welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who applauded what he called “the true words of a true leader”.

“Calling things by their names is essential to opposing evil,” Zelenski said on Twitter. “We are grateful for the assistance provided by the United States so far and urgently need more heavy weapons to prevent new Russian atrocities.

Prior to the invasion, Putin described Ukraine’s separate existence as illegitimate, claiming that Russians and Ukrainians are one people.

In addition to the mass killings of civilians, Russia has been accused of forcibly transferring captured Ukrainian civilians to Russia, including large numbers of children, while changing the rules to make it easier for Russian families to adopt them.

Defining the line between crimes against humanity and genocide is sometimes difficult and divisive. The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia has ruled that the massacre of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica is genocide, but not the mass killings of Serb forces in other municipalities, a distinction that has outraged the population of other devastated cities.