2 years ago
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday became the third Biden administration official to designate Russia’s attacks in Ukraine as “war crimes.”
His remarks followed President Joe Biden, who called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” on Wednesday. United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, too, called the Russian assaults war crimes last week, as world leaders ramp up calls to hold Putin accountable for the devastation in Ukraine, where almost 700 women, men and children have been killed. These death tolls are likely higher.
“Yesterday, President Biden said that, in his opinion, war crimes have been committed in Ukraine. Personally, I agree,” Blinken said on Thursday. “Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime. After all the destruction of the past three weeks, I find it difficult to conclude that the Russians are doing otherwise.”
As the war intensifies and journalists report stories about the brutalities inside Ukraine — from dead pregnant women to ravaged hospitals — there’s been a notable shift in the Biden administration’s rhetoric even since last week. The change in word choice also comes as Blinken confirmed the death of an American citizen in Ukraine on Thursday.
On March 10, while in Poland, Vice President Kamala Harris said Russia had committed “atrocities” and that the country should be investigated for war crimes. White House press secretary Jen Psaki was questioned that day on Harris’ comments, with one reporter asking why the administration wasn’t directly labeling Russia’s attacks, particularly the bombing of a maternity hospital, as war crimes.
“Well, first, let me say: The bombing of a maternity hospital is horrific. It’s barbaric. I don’t think anybody who saw that could not have been emotionally, deeply impacted,” Psaki said last week.
The White House press secretary explained Harris’ stopping point by referencing the State Department’s legal assessment of what’s happening in Ukraine. She said this review would help the administration make a “formal conclusion.”
“Obviously, if Russia is intentionally targeting civilians, that would be a war crime. But we need to go through the legal assessment and review in order to make a formal conclusion,” Psaki said.
But Biden and Blinken went further this week, as the administration toggles the difficult line between condemning the visible attacks on Ukrainians, while also adhering to the legal process of labeling something as a war crime. Psaki said both men were “speaking from the heart,” while again directing reporters to the ongoing State Department review. White House aides also told POLITICO that Biden on Wednesday had not planned to declare Putin a war criminal.
She said the evidence collected by the U.S. would be provided to international bodies with the ability to prosecute war crimes. Psaki did not specify which international organizations the U.S. would be sharing information with.
Russia is already at the center of multiple investigations opened in recent weeks, including a probe by the U.N., which announced it would open a commission to investigate alleged human rights abuses. The International Criminal Court also launched an investigation on March 2, after dozens of member states called for it to take action. The U.S. is not a member of the ICC and has long had a complicated relationship with the court, though the Biden administration is reviewing its policy on the ICC, Foreign Policy reported.
“It’s a legal process, where they review all of the evidence and then they provide that evidence and then they provide that evidence and data and information to the international bodies that oversee the investigations,” Psaki said, adding that it’s unclear how long the State Department would take to complete its review. “A legal process internally in the State Department? It can take some time.”
Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report.
English (US)