United Statae Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the 2023 Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, 18 February 2023. [EPA-EFE/JOHANNES SIMON / POOL]
United State Vice President, Kamala Harris, has publicly declared that throughout Russia’s nearly one-year-long invasion of Ukraine, the country has committed crimes against humanity.
Former prosecutor Harris stated 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.”
The official decision, which was reached following a legal investigation led by the U.S. State Department, has no immediate ramifications for the ongoing war.
According to Reuters, Washington hopes that it could help further isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin and galvanize legal efforts to hold members of his government accountable through international courts and sanctions.
She said Russia was now a “weakened” country after Biden led a coalition to punish Putin for the invasion, but Russia is only intensifying assaults in Ukraine’s east.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is planning a spring counter offensive, for which it is seeking more, heavier and longer-range weapons from its Western allies.
The United Nations backed commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has not yet concluded that the war crimes it says it has identified amount to crimes against humanity.
Russia, says it is conducting a “special military operation” in Ukraine to eliminate threats to its security and protect Russian-speakers, has denied intentionally targeting civilians or committing war crimes.