Kremlin spokesman says Biden has no right to accuse Putin of war crimes

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday US President Joe Biden, being a leader of a country that has been "bombing people all over the world" for many years, and dropped nuclear bombs on the defeated Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has no right to accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of war crimes.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said Biden's statement is "impermissible, unacceptable, inexcusable."

"And most importantly, the head of a state (the US) that has been bombing people all over the world for many years, that dropped nuclear bombs on a country that was already defeated, I mean Hiroshima and Nagasaki, does not have the right to make such statements," he said.

Responding to a reporter's question on Wednesday, Biden had said he considers Putin "a war criminal."

The Russia-Ukraine war, which began Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 726 civilians have been killed and 1,174 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

More than 3.1 million refugees have fled to neighboring countries, according to the UN.