US President Joe Biden on Tuesday bemoaned the spike in gas prices as being driven by a “dictator” who committed “genocide half a world away”, in an apparent reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking in Iowa and quoted by NBC News, Biden blamed Putin for recent price hikes at the pump.
"Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank, none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide half a world away," he said.
Biden had previously stopped short of calling the atrocities in the Ukrainian town of Bucha a genocide, when asked by reporters whether Russian actions there fit that definition.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at the time that the killings documented so far in Ukraine did not rise to the level of "genocide" as defined by the US government.
The State Department has a lengthy internal process for determining if mass killing amounts to genocide, including collecting evidence over a period of time, noted NBC News.
The US defines genocide as "an act against members of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday’s remark.
Biden has twice in the last month referred to Putin as a “war criminal”.
After the first time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the comment was "unacceptable and unforgivable rhetoric."
Biden doubled down on his criticism of Putin a day later, calling the Russian leader a "murderous dictator" and a "pure thug".
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken later said he personally believes war crimes have been committed in Ukraine.
"Yesterday, President Biden said that in his opinion, war crimes have been committed in Ukraine. Personally, I agree," Blinken said, adding, "Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime. After all the destruction of the past few weeks, I find it difficult to conclude that the Russians are doing otherwise."