Vice President Harris announces formal determination of Russian war crimes in Ukraine

 Russian war crimes in Ukraine

The United States has judged that Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine, according to a recent statement by Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris talked on the heinous crimes of murder, torture, rape, and deportation carried out by Russian soldiers against a civilian population in Ukraine to delegates of the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany.

 

According to Harris, there is no question that the actions of Russia constitute crimes against humanity given the information that the US has reviewed and the legal criteria that have been used. She said that the US will continue to support ongoing global investigations and legal proceedings in Ukraine and that Russia and its soldiers would be held accountable for their deeds.

From March 2022, the US has contributed $30 million under the European Democratic Resilience Initiative (EDRI) to aid in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes and other atrocities perpetrated in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government, as well as other international and foreign domestic tribunals, are working to bring war criminals responsible with the help of an additional $28 million from Congress.

 In a world where one country may violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of another, Harris sounded the alarm that no country is secure and singled out North Korea and Iran for arming and assisting Russia. She also warned China, saying that since the war started, Beijing's growing ties to Russia have alarmed the US.

The Vice President reaffirmed that the United States was still committed to the Western alliance's backing of Ukraine and NATO's Article Five, but he also issued a dire warning that Ukraine will continue to experience dark days and everyday warfare. She emphasized that time was not on Putin's side, though, and that his plan to wait out the US was flawed.

Harris said that the American people take tremendous pleasure in a battle for independence and that the history of the US will determine where it was heading on this subject when questioned about how future US elections would effect support for Kyiv. The statement is expected to increase tensions over the continuing crisis in Ukraine between the US and Russia.