(Reuters) – The Kremlin stated Wednesday that it strongly disagreed with President Joe Biden’s description of Russia’s actions in Ukraine’s “genocide” and accused Washington of hypocrisy.

Biden stated Tuesday that Russia’s behavior in Ukraine was genocide according to his opinion, and he used that term for the first-time.

Dmitry Peskov (Kremlin spokesperson) said, “We find this kind of attempt to distort situation unacceptable.” It is not acceptable that a President of the United States would do this to a nation which has recently been accused of well-known crimes.

Biden stated Tuesday that “it is becoming clearer and more clearer that Putin just wants to destroy the notion of being able be Ukrainian, and the evidence mounting.”

Genocide, according to international law is an intention to eliminate a particular national, ethnic or racial group.

Biden called Putin an “war criminal” in an earlier comment, which Moscow rebuffed and claimed had led to the collapse of relations between the United States and Moscow.

Putin dismissed Tuesday’s accusations of Russia having committed war crimes against Bucha in Ukraine. Mass graves were discovered after Russian troops retreated and tied bodies found at close range.

Moscow claimed that the incident had been staged.

Moscow’s attack in Ukraine was the largest on any European state since 1945. More than 4.6 Million people fled abroad after the incursion. It also killed and wounded many others, leaving Russia more isolated.

According to the Kremlin, it started a special military operation to “denazify and demilitarize” Ukraine. This is rejected by Kyiv, its Western allies and as an excuse for an unprovoked strike.