Emmanuel Macron Refuses to Follow Biden in Accusing Russia of ‘Genocide’: ‘I Am Very Careful With Some Terms’

Photo via Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron refused to call Russia’s actions in Ukraine “genocide” Wednesday, a day after President Joe Biden first made the accusation.

On Tuesday, with civilian casualties in Ukraine reportedly in the tens of thousands, Biden accused Vladimir Putin’s forces of attempting to erase Ukraine’s identity through mass murder.

“Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank, none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide a half a world away,” Biden said in Menlo, Iowa.

Later, asked by a reporter if he had seen specific “evidence” of genocide, Biden doubled down.

“Yes, I called it genocide. It has become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being — being able to be Ukrainian,” Biden said. “And the amount — the evidence is mounting.”

The Kremlin was displeased by Biden’s decision to equate its forces with indiscriminate killers.

“We consider this kind of effort to distort the situation unacceptable,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Reuters reported. “This is hardly acceptable from a president of the United States, a country that has committed well-known crimes in recent times.”

A day later, Macron refused to use the word “genocide” during an interview with France 2.

“So far, it has been established that war crimes were committed by the Russian army and that it is now necessary to find those responsible and bring them to justice,” Macron stated. “I am very careful with some terms [genocide] these days.”

“I’m not sure the escalation of words is helping the cause right now,” Macron also said. “I think there is one thing that can be said with certainty, and that is that the situation is unacceptable and that these are war crimes.”

Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko called Macron’s words “disappointing” in a lengthy Facebook post. He noted Macron also described the relationship between Ukraine and Russia as “brotherly.”

“This myth was finally destroyed when the first Russian missiles flew to Ukrainian cities in February,” Nikolenko wrote.

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