Biden slams 'war criminal' Putin as Ukraine civilian horror grows

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky virtually addresses the US Congress on March 16, 2022

US President Joe Biden branded Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" Wednesday as the Russian leader's onslaught in Ukraine claimed more civilian lives, and a theatre where "hundreds" were sheltering was destroyed by bombing.

Biden's rebuke -- his sharpest yet -- came after Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky made a searing appeal for help to the US Congress and the president himself, who responded by pledging $1 billion in new weapons to fight Russia's invading army.

It was the latest in a litany of assaults on civilians across Ukraine since Putin invaded on February 24 that has included homes, hospitals, ambulances and food queues.

Biden's spokesperson added that he had spoken "from his heart" -- but the Kremlin quickly punched back, calling the comment "unacceptable and unforgivable on the part of the head of a state, whose bombs have killed hundreds of thousands of people around the world."

But dull booms echoed across the capital's deserted streets Wednesday, with only an occasional vehicle passing through sandbagged checkpoints, and very few permits granted to break its latest curfew.

"It's worrying, of course. It's war after all. But we try to stay calm, we won't allow panic," said Eduard Demenchuk, a private-security employee in his 50s, was among those who have stayed.

- 'Destruction of hope' -

Mariupol city authorities said Russia "purposefully destroyed" the theatre, though Moscow blamed Ukrainian forces for the blast.

President Zelensky gave no further details in his regular evening address, saying only "my heart is breaking seeing what Russia is doing to our people, to our Mariupol."

Ten of them died while queueing to collect bread. Another five, including three children, were killed when Russian forces shelled a residential building.

"This is about the destruction of hope ... This is the most basic of human rights and it has been directly denied," WHO official Michael Ryan said in Geneva.

Ukraine authorities said 103 children have been killed since the invasion began.

In a virtual address to Congress, Zelensky invoked Pearl Harbor, the 9/11 attacks and Martin Luther King Jr as he showed lawmakers a video of the wrenching effect of three weeks of Russian attacks.

Switching to English, Zelensky addressed Biden directly, saying: "I wish you to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace."

On Wednesday Biden announced the United States' latest package of new weapons aid to Ukraine added up to $1 billion and that the US would help Ukraine acquire longer-range anti-aircraft weapons.

- Russian opposition quashed -

Moscow was due Wednesday to pay $117 million on two dollar-denominated bonds -- the first interest payment since it was largely shut out of the Western financial system.

In his speech Putin claimed Western leaders gave him "no option to resolve the process in a peaceful way", and Kyiv and Moscow remained far apart at another round of sputtering talks Wednesday.

There was one glimmer of hope that talks might yet bear fruit, as the United States and Russia made their first high-level contact since the invasion began. 

Retired tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov went home to Kyiv to take up arms and defend his native city. 

The mayor of Ukraine's southern city of Melitopol was released days after Kyiv said he was abducted by Russian forces.

"I will need one or two days to recover and then I will be at your disposal to contribute to our victory."

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