US called Russia’s actions in Ukraine “crimes against humanity”

Vice President Harris Saturday said that the United States officially recognized the actions of the Russian military in Ukraine as war crimes and demanded that those responsible be held accountable to the international community.

“In the case of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, we reviewed the evidence. We know the legal rules and there is no doubt that these are crimes against humanity,” she said at the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Harris emphasized the importance of the world community standing up for Ukraine and continuing to put pressure on Russia.

“Let’s be clear, Russian forces launched large-scale and systematic attacks against the civilian population,” she said. “Horrible acts of murder, torture, rape and deportation. Execution-style murders, beatings and electrocutions. The Russian authorities forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of people from Ukraine to Russia, including children.”

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Saturday issued a statement of support saying the US will work to bring those responsible to justice while stressing the importance of the appointment. Blinken is present at the meeting.

“We reserve the definition of crimes against humanity for the most egregious crimes,” he said. “Today’s resolve underlines the staggering scale of human suffering inflicted by Moscow on the civilian population of Ukraine. This determination also reflects the deep commitment of the United States to holding Russian military personnel and other Russian officials accountable for their atrocities against the people of Ukraine. “

Last March, the Biden administration announced that officials estimated that members of the Russian armed forces had committed war crimes.

Ukraine is not a state party to the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC). But the country exercised its right to accept the court’s jurisdiction over alleged war crimes committed on its territory. On February 28, 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ICC prosecutor announced that he would seek permission to open an investigation into allegations of war crimes in Ukraine.

Still ahead: Blinken’s meeting with a senior Chinese diplomat

As US-China tensions persist, Blinken is set to meet with senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi for talks this weekend in Munich. This will be the highest level of contact between the US and China since the security balloon incident.

Relations between China and the US have been tense since the February 4 shooting down of what the Biden administration claims was a Chinese observation balloon that flew over the US mainland.

Beijing, however, insists that the balloon was a civilian ship used for scientific research and that its downing was an overreaction and a violation of international practice.

Blinken was due to visit Beijing on February 5-6, but postponed the trip after the balloon made headlines.

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