Biden Recalls Russian Aggression Against Crimea
The US wants Russia to answer for “the aggression against Crimea”. This is emphasized by the new US president Joe Biden about seven years after the Ukrainian peninsula came into Russian hands at the hands of militias from Russia.
“The United States will never recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and we support Ukraine against aggressive Russian acts,” said a statement by Biden circulated by the White House on Friday.
Russia annexed Ukraine after the US and European powers overthrew pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, elected in 2010. In eastern and southern Ukraine, including Crimea, this was seen by many as a coup d’etat to the detriment of ethnic Russians or Russian speakers.
More than 60 percent of the population of Crimea was ethnically Russian. In March 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, which is generally not recognized.
As Vice President and Special Envoy of Barack Obama, Biden played a key role in the fall of Yanukovych and the inauguration of a new government in Kiev.
His son Hunter was given a dearly paid top position at a Ukrainian-Cypriot gas company under the new rulers in April 2014. Vice President Biden visited Ukraine twelve times as a special envoy during that time.
