Russia committed 'crimes against humanity' in Ukraine: Kamala Harris declares at Munich Security Conference
The Hindu
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said Russia was now a "weakened" country after Mr. Biden led a coalition to punish Mr. Putin for the invasion
The Biden administration formally concluded that Russia has committed "crimes against humanity" during its nearly year-long invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said on February 18.
"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," Ms. Harris, a former prosecutor, said in prepared remarks being delivered in a speech at the Munich Security Conference.
"And I say to all those who have perpetrated these crimes, and to their superiors who are complicit in those crimes, you will be held to account."
The official determination, which came at the end of a legal and factual analysis led by the U.S. State Department, carries with it no immediate consequences for the ongoing war.
But Washington hopes that it could help further isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin and galvanize legal efforts to hold members of his government accountable through international courts and sanctions.
Ms. Harris' speech comes as senior Western leaders met in Munich to assess the Europe's worst conflict since World War Two.
She said Russia was now a "weakened" country after Mr. Biden led a coalition to punish Mr. Putin for the invasion, but Russia is only intensifying assaults in Ukraine's east. Meanwhile, Ukraine is planning a spring counteroffensive, for which it is seeking more, heavier and longer-range weapons from its Western allies.