French minister slams Biden's "invasion" rhetoric
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Bruno Le Maire has joined the ranks in criticizing Biden's use of "invasion" in describing the situation in Ukraine.
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French Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said today that the word "invasion," used by US President Joe Biden, is not an appropriate word describing the situation in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Biden said that Putin's recognition of Lugansk and Donetsk as independent republics is the beginning of the Russian "invasion" of Ukraine.
"You need to weigh your words. An invasion is an invasion. And I think that this is not the right word for this situation [in Ukraine]. We will see what steps [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin will take next in the next hours, days or weeks. But what is happening now is an attempt to encroach on the territorial integrity of Ukraine and cast doubt on international agreements," Le Maire told the BFM TV broadcaster.
Read more: Biden trying to clean up his comments about Russia
Criticism towards Biden's rhetoric does not only come from Russia and allies, but also from NATO and even Ukrainian officials.
On Sunday, Ukrainian MP Ilya Kiva said he was planning on suing Biden on account of his "panicky and provocative speeches" about an alleged attack by Russia.
The Ukrainian lawmaker wrote on his Telegram account that Biden's statements and speeches "killed his faith" in US democracy and the independence of Western media.
“I am preparing a lawsuit in international courts against Biden: for the mental and psychological trauma inflicted on me by his panicky and provocative speeches about Putin’s attack and the war with Russia,” he said.
Kiva added that the "forecasts" of the American leader never came true, but the hysteria caused by his statements resulted in great harm to the people of Ukraine and the country's economy.
'Independent interests'
Earlier this month, Le Maire said the European position on the Ukraine issue as well as others, is not dependent on the US but rather on dialogue.
Le Maire told Inter that "The Europeans, thanks especially to President of the Republic [Emmanuel Macron], have an independent position on Ukraine and different interests from the Americans. And it needs to be made clear to our American allies that we have different interests in this crisis. Our goal is not threats, not confrontation, but dialogue and de-escalation."
Le Maire also spoke of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as the main component of de-escalation of tensions in the Russia-Ukraine borders.
The West is using Nord Stream 2 as a bid to stop Moscow from allegedly "invading" Ukraine, however, halting the project will surely affect the economy of all western parties involved.
It is noteworthy that the pipeline's construction is complete but German regulators had not yet approved its use.
