President Joe Biden on Wednesday publicly called President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for the first time, using a loaded phrase that the White House had avoided throughout Russia’s 21-day-old invasion of Ukraine.
Asked at a crowded White House event whether he would call Putin a war criminal, Biden said no, but returned moments later to change his answer.
“I think he is a war criminal,” Biden said, waving his right hand, and then turning away from reporters blurting out questions.
