Joe Biden Has Harsh Words For Putin Following Zelenskyy's Plea For Help

President Joe Biden is not holding back in his criticism of Russia's Vladimir Putin. The United States placed tough sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine, including imposing restrictions on "all ten of Russia's largest financial institutions" (via the White House) and a ban on all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy. "That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to [President Vladimir] Putin," Biden said in a press briefing.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that isn't enough. During a video address to Congress, Zelenskyy asked for more assistance as his country — military and armed civilians — fight back against the Russian invasion. "Remember Pearl Harbor, terrible morning of December 7, 1941, when your sky was black from the planes attacking you," he said (per CNN). "Just remember it, remember, September the 11th, a terrible day in 2001 when evil tried to turn U.S. cities into battlefields, when innocent people were attacked from air, just like nobody else expected it and you could not stop it. Our country experiences the same, every day, right now at this moment."

Biden responded by promising Ukraine anti-aircraft and anti-armor systems, weapons and drones, explaining that "the world is united in our support for Ukraine and our determination to make Putin pay a very heavy price," according to CNN. He also had some harsh words for Russia's leader. 

President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" after prepared remarks at the White House, according to CNN. "We saw reports that Russian forces were holding hundreds of doctors and patients hostage in the largest hospital in Mariupol," Biden said. "These are atrocities. They're an outrage to the world. And the world is united in our support for Ukraine and our determination to make Putin pay a very heavy price."

The United States is clearly taking Putin's actions seriously, with State Department spokesman Ned Price revealing that "there are people working almost around the clock to document, evaluate, share as we all watch what is happening with some horror." While it is unknown if Putin will be charged with war crimes, it is a possibility. In the meantime, Biden is scheduled to travel to Brussels for an extraordinary session of NATO leaders to discuss the war between Russia and Ukraine. "Putin is inflicting appalling, appalling devastation and horror on Ukraine, bombing apartment buildings, maternity wards, hospitals," Biden said. "I mean, it's godawful."