US President Joe Biden on Monday condemned Russia’s missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, saying they “demonstrate the utter brutality” of Vladimir Putin’s “illegal war.”

“The United States strongly condemns Russia’s missile strikes today across Ukraine,” Biden said in a statement.

“These attacks killed and injured civilians and destroyed targets with no military purpose,” he said.

“They once again demonstrate the utter brutality of Mr. Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people.”

The US president said the attacks “only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.

“Alongside our allies and partners, we will continue to impose costs on Russia for its aggression, hold Putin and Russia accountable for its atrocities and war crimes, and provide the support necessary for Ukrainian forces to defend their country and their freedom,” Biden said.

“We again call on Russia to end this unprovoked aggression immediately and remove its troops from Ukraine.”

Mass retaliatory strikes hit Ukraine nationwide on Monday, after Moscow blamed Kyiv for a blast on a bridge connecting Russia to Crimea, a peninsula Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

AFP