The politics of calling the Russia-Ukraine war a genocide
On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti
WBUR
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 19 April 2022
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Last Tuesday, President Joe Biden declared genocide was taking place in Ukraine.
"I called it genocide because it’s become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be a Ukrainian," the president said.
But is Biden right? We discuss the politics of calling the Russian invasion of Ukraine a genocide and the investigations to prove it. Kate Cronin-Furman and Eugene Finkel join Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank, not if it should hinge on, or |
| 0:12.0 | they're a dictator, the Claire's War commits genocide in a half a world away. |
| 0:17.8 | Did you catch that? |
| 0:19.1 | The president used the G-word, genocide, for the first time, when talking about the situation |
| 0:24.9 | in Ukraine at an event last Tuesday in Iowa. |
| 0:28.4 | The president later doubled down on his rhetoric to reporters. |
| 0:31.6 | Yes, I called it genocide because it become clear and clear that Putin is just trying |
| 0:37.6 | to wipe out the idea of he can be able to be a Ukrainian. |
| 0:40.9 | This is on point. |
| 0:41.9 | I'm Kimberly Atkins' store. |
| 0:43.7 | It was a surprising shift in language. |
| 0:46.1 | It was only a week after President Biden showed reluctance to call Russian violence in |
| 0:50.5 | Ukraine genocide. |
| 0:51.5 | No, I think it is a war crime. |
| 0:53.5 | I'm seeking more sanctions, yes. |
| 0:59.8 | Technically, it's up to international lawyers to make the determination of genocide. |
| 1:04.3 | Still, President Biden's declaration is significant. |
| 1:07.9 | Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky praised Biden as a quote, true leader. |
| 1:13.1 | Meanwhile, other world leaders are steering clear of the word genocide. |
| 1:17.4 | French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron went so far as to warn against quote, an escalation |
| 1:23.1 | of rhetoric. |
| 1:30.8 | Macron says there, I want to try my best to continue to be able to stop this war and |
... |
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