President Joe Biden today called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal as the atrocities in Ukraine mount.
"He's a war criminal," Mr Biden said of Mr Putin as he left an event. Footage of his exchange with journalists showed the US President clarifying a question he at first seemed to misunderstand.
Initially Mr Biden told a reporter "no," when he was asked if it was time to label Mr Putin a war criminal because of evidence coming out of Ukraine.
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But then Mr Biden clarified the question and changed tack, saying: "Oh, I think he is a war criminal."
The Kremlin responded quickly to the shift in rhetoric, saying that Mr Biden's comments were "unacceptable and unforgivable".
Mr Biden's declaration is the sharpest condemnation yet of Mr Putin and Russian actions by a US official since the invasion of Ukraine.
While other world leaders have used the words, the White House had been hesitant to declare Mr Putin's actions those of a war criminal, saying it was a legal term that required research.
Other world leaders have not been as circumspect, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said last week war crimes were being committed.
After Mr Biden delivered his assessment, the White House said the administration's investigation into war crimes would continue.
"The President's remarks speak for themselves," press secretary Jen Psaki said.
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She said Mr Biden was "speaking from the heart."
While the term "war crimes" is often used colloquially, as Mr Biden appeared to be doing today, they do have a legal definition that could be used in potential prosecution.
That includes in the Geneva Convention, which specifies intentional targeting of civilians as a war crime.
Yet in order to prosecute a war crime, solid evidence is required.
And for Russian officials to be held accountable, they would need to travel outside of the country.
Still, an official designation of war crimes - backed up with evidence - would still present the West with a symbolic tool in framing Putin's actions in Ukraine.
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With agencies
