U.S. honors memory of Holodomor victims, keeps standing with Ukraine - Biden
U.S. President Joe Biden, on behalf of the United States, paid tribute to the victims of the 1932-1933 Holodomor, comparing the actions of the Stalinist regime to Vladimir Putin's policies, where the Kremlin continues to use food and death for its own gain.
The statement was published on Saturday by the White House press service, reports Ukrinform.
"We mark the solemn anniversary of the Holodomor as the brave people of Ukraine continue to defend their freedom and Ukraine’s sovereignty against Russia’s brutal war of aggression," the American leader said.
He recalled that 90 years ago, the "inhumane policies" of Joseph Stalin and the Soviet regime caused created the famine that killed millions of Ukrainians -- “death by hunger”.
Stalin and his regime systematically seized Ukraine’s grain and farms and transferred Ukrainian grain to other parts of the USSR to repress Ukraine’s national identity, the statement emphasizes.
"Today, Ukraine’s agricultural infrastructure is once more being deliberately targeted—this time by Vladimir Putin as part of his drive for conquest and power," Biden emphasized.
He noted that the Russian forces seek to destroy Ukraine’s economy and independence, deliberately damaging fields and destroying Ukrainian granaries and ports. It is not just an attack on Ukraine's economic security, "it is a cynical assault on food security everywhere," the U.S. president said. “Putin is hurting the world’s most vulnerable communities, for Russia’s profit.”
“On this anniversary, we remember and honor all those, both past and present, who have endured such hardship and who continue still to fight against tyranny. We also recommit ourselves to preventing suffering, protecting fundamental freedoms, and responding to human rights abuses whenever and wherever they occur. We stand united with Ukraine," President Biden emphasized.
As reported, on the fourth Saturday of November, Ukrainians light a candle in their households in memory of those whose lives were taken during the Holodomor-genocide.