US Vice President Kamala Harris accused Russian forces of committing war crimes during their nearly year-long invasion of Ukraine and urged allies to back international tribunals convened to investigate any battlefield atrocities.
(Bloomberg) — US Vice President Kamala Harris accused Russian forces of committing war crimes during their nearly year-long invasion of Ukraine and urged allies to back international tribunals convened to investigate any battlefield atrocities.
“There’s a report that includes the fact that a child, as young as four years old, was the victim of sexual assault by Russian forces,” Harris said Friday during an interview with NBC News on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
“These are war crimes,” she said. “We are doing everything we can, as the United States of America, to support the investigations and the tribunals, both in Ukraine and globally, that are gathering evidence and will hold Russia accountable.”
US officials have repeatedly accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine. In September, Secretary of State Antony Blinken cited reports that Ukrainian officials had uncovered a mass grave in the city of Izyum and said Kyiv and its allies should “build the evidence and document the atrocities that have been committed.” Russia has denied the allegations.
Harris, a former prosecutor who served as district attorney of San Francisco and later California attorney general, said there needs to be “serious and severe consequences for the people who have committed these crimes.”
Some European officials have suggested support for a so-called hybrid tribunal, utilizing Ukrainian courts, to prosecute any alleged war crimes.
Harris told NBC the US will also continue to take steps to bolster Ukraine’s position on the battlefield, “so that if and when there are negotiations, Ukraine will be in the strongest position.”
Harris is leading the US delegation at the security conference, which draws together top politicians and defense officials. This year, there is an especially large bilateral US presence, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The vice president’s aides said it sent a signal about the strong US support for Ukraine.
Harris is scheduled to deliver an address on Saturday, a week ahead of the one-year mark of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, was set to attend the event but Harris has no meeting scheduled with him and will instead focus her time on the leaders of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Finland and Sweden.
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