US hints at war-crimes tribunal after Ukraine accuses Russia of genocide
The US ambassador to the United Nations said Sunday that she wouldn’t rule out supporting a war-crimes tribunal for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine filed a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice accusing Russia of targeting civilians during its invasion — with Ukraine President Zelensky on Sunday saying Moscow’s heinous crimes border on “genocide.
“We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity now and expect trials to start next week,” Zelensky tweeted.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield was asked during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” whether the Biden administration would support a tribunal in The Hague.
“Everything is on the table as we move forward,” she responded.
Thomas-Greenfield added that the UN Security Council will meet Sunday to decide whether to call an emergency session of the UN General Assembly to address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that Moscow, as a permanent member of the security council, will be unable to veto.
Russia, along with the US, China, France and the United Kingdom, are permanent members of the UN Security Council and carry veto power.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the UN to strip Russia of its veto power in the security council because its actions in Ukraine are veering toward “genocide.”
“Ukraine has submitted its application against Russia to the ICJ. Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression,” Zelensky tweeted Sunday.
In a video message released Sunday, the Ukrainian leader said Russia’s “criminal actions against Ukraine bear signs of genocide.”
“This is terror. They are going to bomb our Ukrainian cities even more, they are going to kill our children even more subtly. This is the evil that has come to our land and must be destroyed,” he said.
Russia on Friday already vetoed a resolution written by the US and Albania in the security council that demanded Moscow immediately stop its attack and withdraw all troops from Ukraine.
Thomas-Greenfield said she believes Russia can be cut off from the UN and other international bodies.
“We can isolate them. We can isolate them in the United Nations. We can isolate them in UN specialized agencies,” she said during an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “They are feeling that isolation.
“There will be a meeting in Geneva, at the UN Human Rights Council, where they, again, will be called out and their aggressions will be brought to the attention of the world.
“So, again, we have a number of tools to put pressure on the Russians and we’re using all of those tools,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
Fierce fighting has broken out in a number of Ukrainian cities, including the capital of Kyiv, as Ukrainian forces mount a stiff defense against the invading Russia troops.
The UN reported that as of Saturday evening, there have been at least 240 civilian casualties, including 64 dead, as a result of the fighting.
It also said that damage to civilian infrastructure has left thousands without electricity or water, while hundreds of homes have been damaged or destroyed and many communities have been cut off because of Russian shelling of roads and bridges.
With Post Wires
CREDIT: Original Article Source
