美国总统乔·拜登周三称俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京为“战犯”暴力入侵乌克兰，包括袭击平民。
当被问及“在我们目睹了一切之后”是否准备好给普京贴上战犯的标签时，总统最初对一名记者说“不”，但片刻之后，拜登绕了回来，要求她重复这个问题，他似乎最初误解了这个问题。
“我认为他是一个战犯，”拜登谈到普京时说，这是自无端攻击开始以来的第一次。
不久后，白宫新闻秘书珍·普萨基(Jen Psaki)在下午的新闻发布会上告诉记者，拜登在发表上述评论后“发自内心”地说了这番话，同时谨慎地指出，国务院仍在审查俄罗斯是否认为俄罗斯对乌克兰平民的袭击是战争罪。
“总统的讲话不言自明。他说的是心里话，是你在电视上看到的，这是一个残暴的独裁者通过入侵外国采取的野蛮行动，”普萨基说。“有一个法律程序在继续——正在进行，在国务院继续进行。”
美国广播公司新闻部驻白宫高级记者玛丽·布鲁斯(Mary Bruce)跟进报道，指出了使用该术语的持续、正式的过程，并表示，“所以，总统肯定是发生了一些变化，才会觉得他今天可以采取这一额外的步骤。”
普萨基回答说:“总统正在回答一个直接的问题，并对他在电视上看到的作出回应，我们都看到了。”。“野蛮的行为，可怕的行为，由一个外国独裁者在一个国家威胁和夺走平民的生命，影响医院、孕妇、记者和其他人，我认为他是在回答一个直接的问题，”她补充道，似乎淡化了评论。
尽管有证据，白宫已经尽力不把普京贴上战犯的标签，反复指出在拜登政府正式指控普京犯下战争罪之前，官方正在进行审查。
本月早些时候，拜登表示，“很明显”俄罗斯军队的目标是平民区，但他表示，将这些行动定性为战争罪还为时过早。
“你认为俄罗斯正在乌克兰犯下战争罪行吗?”拜登在3月2日被问到。
“我们正密切关注此事。现在说这个还为时过早，”他说。
这种定性的转变是在美国对俄罗斯实施一系列制裁之后发生的，包括对普京的个人制裁，以及乌克兰总统泽伦斯基向国会发出强有力的呼吁，呼吁拜登采取更多措施援助乌克兰。
就在俄罗斯军队开始入侵乌克兰的一年前，拜登在接受美国广播公司新闻主播乔治·斯特凡诺普洛斯的采访时表示，他认为普京是一个“杀手”。
Biden calls Russia's Putin a 'war criminal' over invasion of Ukraine
President Joe Biden on Wednesday called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" for hisviolent invasion Ukraine, including attacks on civilians.
The president initially told a reporter "no," when asked if he was ready to label Putin a war criminal "after everything we've seen," but moments later Biden circled back, asking her to repeat the question, which he appeared to have initially misunderstood.
"I think he is a war criminal," Biden said of Putin, for the first time since the unprovoked attack began.
A short time later, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at an afternoon press briefing Biden was speaking "from the heart" after he made the comment, while carefully noting there is still a State Department review of whether it considers Russia's attacks on Ukrainian civilians a war crime.
"The president's remarks speak for themselves. He was speaking from his heart and speaking from what you've seen on television, which is barbaric actions by a brutal dictator, through his invasion of a foreign country," Psaki said. "There is a legal process that continues to – is underway, continues to be underway at the State Department."
ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Mary Bruce followed up, noting the ongoing, formal process to use the term, and said, "So something must have changed for the President to feel like he can take this additional step today."
"The president was answering a direct question that was asked, and responding to what he has seen on television, we have all seen," Psaki replied. "Barbaric acts, horrific acts, by a foreign dictator in a country that is threatening and taking the lives of civilians impacting hospitals, women who are pregnant, journalists, others, and I think he was answering a direct question," she added, appearing to downplay the comment.
Despite the evidence, the White House had gone out of its way not to label Putin a war criminal, repeatedly noting there was an official review underway before the Biden administration could formally accuse Putin of war crimes.
Earlier this month, Biden said it was "clear" Russian forces were targeting civilian areas but said that it was too early to label the actions war crimes.
"Do you believe Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine?" Biden was asked on March 2.
"We are following it very closely. It's early to say that," he said.
The shift in characterization follows a wave of U.S. sanctions on Russia including personal sanctions on Putin and following a powerful appeal from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to Congress, in which he called on Biden to do more to aid Ukraine.
Exactly one year before Russian forces started invading Ukriane, Biden told ABC News Anchor George Stephanopoulos in an interview that be believed Putin was a "killer."
