The United States has formally concluded that Russia committed crimes against humanity during its invasion of Ukraine, Vice President Kamala Harris said at the Munich Security Conference on February 18, 2023.
“There is no doubt”
“In the case of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, we have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt: these are crimes against humanity,” Harris said, citing atrocities in Bucha and Mariupol.
“We will make sure that whoever was involved in those crimes will be held accountable,” she said. “If Putin thinks he can wait us out, he is badly mistaken.”
It was the first time the US had formally reached such a conclusion about Russia’s actions in Ukraine, Axios reported.
Blinken: “widespread and systematic”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the determination was based on “a careful analysis of the law and available facts.” He cited “execution-style killings of Ukrainian men, women, and children,” torture of detained civilians, including rape, and the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians to Russia, including children forcibly separated from their families.
Blinken called these actions “part of the Kremlin’s widespread and systematic attack against Ukraine’s civilian population.”
Warning to China
Harris also warned China against providing weapons to Russia. “Every move by China to give lethal support to Russia will only lead to the continuation of the killing,” she said. Russia denies targeting civilians.
Sources
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