“Today, we can announce that, based upon information currently available,” Blinken stated in a statement. He was on his way to Brussels with President Joe Biden to attend an emergency summit of NATO leaders.
He said that the assessment was based upon a careful review of intelligence and public sources following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month.
The top diplomat of America stated that the United States would share this information with allies and partners, as well as international institutions charged with investigating allegations of war crimes or crimes against humanity.
We have received numerous credible reports about indiscriminate attacks on civilians and deliberate attacks targeting them. According to Blinken, Russia’s forces destroyed apartments, schools, hospitals and critical infrastructure, as well as shopping centers and ambulances. This has left thousands of innocent civilians dead or injured.
He mentioned attacks on civilians in Mariupol and other cities.
Russia and the United States do not recognize the authority of The Hague’s International Criminal Court, which makes it difficult to seek accountability for war crimes committed by Ukraine.
The U.S. could still help a prosecution before the court. It opened an investigation into the atrocities committed by the Ukrainian forces. They used some of their vast capabilities to collect evidence against the Russian forces in Ukraine.
The U.S. could also support and back a U.N. Human Rights Council-established commission of inquiry.
