Ajit Karn
US Warns Putin About Russia-Ukraine War
MUNICH: According to US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Biden administration has legally determined that Russia has engaged in “crimes against humanity” during its almost one-year-long invasion of Ukraine.
Former prosecutor Harris said at the Munich Security Conference, “In the instance of Russia’s operations in Ukraine we have evaluated the data, we know the legal criteria, and there is no doubt: these are crimes against humanity.”
And I declare that everyone who committed these crimes, as well as those superiors who participated in them, shall be held accountable.
epartment, has no direct repercussions for the current conflict.
But, Washington wants to use it to further isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin and inspire legal actions to hold members of his administration legally liable via international tribunals and penalties.
While top Western officials gathered in Munich to discuss Europe’s biggest crisis since World War Two, Harris gave a speech.
She said that after Biden organised a coalition to punish Putin for the invasion, Russia was now a “weakened” nation, but Russia is simply stepping up its attacks in eastern Ukraine. In the meanwhile, Ukraine is preparing a spring counteroffensive and is looking to its Western partners for bigger, heavier, and longer-ranged weaponry.
Tens of thousands have died throughout the conflict, millions have been forced to leave their homes, the world economy has been severely damaged, and Putin has become despised in the West.
The Biden administration’s conclusion that Russia’s actions amount to “crimes against humanity” implies a legal analysis that actions ranging from murder to rape are widespread, systematic, and intentionally targeted against civilians. Washington and a UN-mandated investigation had already concluded that Russian forces were guilty of war crimes. It is considered to be a more severe offence under international law.
The Commission of Investigation on Ukraine, which is supported by the UN, has not yet determined whether the alleged war crimes constitute crimes against humanity.
In her remarks, Harris referred to the numerous victims discovered in Bucha soon after Russia’s invasion last February as “barbaric and inhumane,” as well as the bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol on March 9 that resulted in the deaths of three people, including a child, and the sexual assault of a four-year-old by a Russian soldier that was named in the UN report.
After the invasion, organisations funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have recorded more than 30,000 war crimes instances, the US government claims. According to Ukrainian authorities, the recent bombardment of the city of Bakhmut is being looked into as a potential war crime.
Russia has denied purposefully attacking people or committing war crimes, claiming that its “special military operation” in Ukraine is meant to defend Russian-speaking citizens and eradicate threats to state security.
Let’s all agree that justice must be done for all victims, whether known and unidentified, Harris added.
In an effort to bring accused war criminals to justice, the Biden administration has trained Ukrainian investigators, imposed fines, denied visas, and increased punishments under US war crimes legislation.
Washington claims it is working with Congress to acquire an extra $38 million for the measures despite having already spent around $40 million on them.
But, the Biden administration has little power to carry out any such initiatives outside of its boundaries, and most definitely inside of Russia. It has been challenging to gather evidence in the war-torn nation as well.
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International legal organisations are likewise restricted. For instance, the International Criminal Court’s authority only covers its members and those nations that have consented to it, including Ukraine, but not Russia. Moscow has rejected Kyiv’s efforts to create a new international war crimes institution that would concentrate on the Russian invasion.
Putin is seriously incorrect, Harris added, if he believes he can wait us out. He cannot win against time.
