WATCH: Biden explains why he's now accusing Putin of 'genocide' in Ukraine

President Joe Biden on Tuesday raised eyebrows when he referred to Russia's actions in Ukraine as a "genocide," and he subsequently made it clear to reporters that it was not a slip of the tongue.

As reported by CNN's Natasha Bertrand, Biden subsequently explained to reporters why he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine should be considered an attempted genocide.

"It’s become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out even the idea of being Ukrainian," Biden said. "And the evidence is mounting... We’ll let the lawyers decide internationally if it qualifies [as genocide], but it sure seems that way to me."

Biden has steadily ramped up accusations against Putin since the start of the war, as last month he accused the Russian president of committing war crimes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised Biden for labeling Putin's actions genocide.

"True words of a true leader, POTUS," he wrote on Twitter. "Calling things by their names is essential to stand up to evil. We are grateful for US assistance provided so far and we urgently need more heavy weapons to prevent further Russian atrocities."

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