After apparent proof of mass atrocities by Russian forces surfaced from the Ukrainian city of Bucha, near the capital Kyiv, US President Joe Biden called for his Russian counterpart to face a war crimes tribunal on Monday.
What is being revealed in Bucha, a city from which Russian troops recently left, has been dubbed “outrageous” by Biden.
Biden told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “war criminal” who “should be held accountable.”
He insisted that before any legal action, the US and the international community needed to gather more evidence to back up the charges of war crimes.
Putin, according to Biden, is “brutal.”
“Everyone has seen what’s going on in Bucha, and it’s outrageous.”
Biden feels what he has witnessed does not amount to genocide, but it is still a war crime.
He also promised to inflict more sanctions on the Kremlin.
According to Ukraine’s prosecutor-general, the bodies of at least 410 civilians were discovered in the city of Bucha on Sunday.
Russia has denied killing people during the withdrawal of its forces from villages near Kyiv.
Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, has called for an independent investigation into the mass atrocities, as well as “effective accountability.”
Ukraine has requested that international organisations send specialists to the country as quickly as possible to gather proof of Russian troops’ war crimes.
