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'Hard to deny' Russian 'genocide' in Ukraine, Polish president tells CNN

07.04.2022 08:15
Polish President Andrzej Duda has told CNN that that it is "hard to deny" that Russian forces are committing genocide in Ukraine following shocking images of civilians brutally killed in towns such as Bucha.
Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Polish President Andrzej Duda.Photo: KPRP/Jakub Szymczuk

It is hard to deny this, of course," Duda said in an interview with the US broadcaster on Wednesday.

"This is a crime which fulfills the features of a genocide, especially if you look at the context of different conversations that are being conducted," he added.

Duda told CNN's Dana Bash in an exclusive interview that Russian propaganda about Moscow's goal for the "denazification" of Ukraine shows that the country was looking for a false pretext "in order to carry out a massacre."

"The fact that civilian inhabitants of Ukraine are being killed shows best what the goal of the Russian invasion is," he said. "The goal of that invasion is simply to extinguish the Ukrainian nation."

'Sanctions regime should be strengthened'

In the interview, Duda called for additional sanctions against Russia and its energy sector.

"The sanctions regime should be strengthened," he said. "I have no doubt whatsoever about this. This is of course, a very complex task ... The problem however, is that for some countries, well, this is fundamental for them."

Duda also told CNN that he was proud of his compatriots "who are giving their hearts ... in order to help Ukrainian refugees."

He said: "I'm deeply grateful to them, for them. But on the other hand, I'm aware of how big an encumbrance it is for our country and for our society. And that is why I appeal for international assistance everywhere. And we are getting this assistance."

(gs)

Source: PAPCNN