New Delhi: US President Joe Biden on Monday called the atrocities allegedly committed by Russian forces in Ukraine’s Bucha a “war crime” and sought a trial against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Joe Biden told reporters that President Vladimir Putin was a “war criminal” and the deaths “a war crime”, news agency AFP reported.
Biden’s conclusion that the deaths did not constitute genocide contrasts with that of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who used the phrase in an interview with CBS on Sunday.
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“This guy (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is brutal and what’s happening in Bucha is outrageous and everyone’s seeing it. It’s a war crime. I’m seeking more sanctions, he should be held accountable,” Biden was quoted by CNN in its report.
“I got criticised for calling Putin a ‘war criminal’, but he is a war criminal. We’ve to continue to provide Ukraine️ with weapons they need, gather all details so this could have a war crime trial,” Biden further said.
Images showing bodies strewn across a street in Kyiv suburb of Bucha following the withdrawal of Russian forces has gone viral on social media. A mass grave in the town has also been found, with residents saying they believe at least 150 people were buried there, CNN reported.
The scenes in Bucha have drawn international outrage, with Western leaders calling for war crimes investigations and fresh sanctions against Russia.
However, Russia’s defence ministry denied Ukraine’s allegations, and said that the footage and photographs showing bodies in Bucha were “yet another provocation” by the Ukrainian government, according to a report by news agency Reuters.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Sunday that the State Department would assist in documenting any Russian army attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the murders of civilians in Bucha as “brutality” and said he “strongly welcomes” the International Criminal Court’s probe into war crimes in Ukraine.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the vast footage of dead civilians in Bucha was “fabricated,” and “not a single local person suffered from any violent activities” during Russia’s control of the area.
“In the settlements of the Kiev region, Russian military personnel delivered and issued 452 tons of humanitarian aid to civilians,” Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.