White House official says US will continue to help Ukraine document war crimes
On April 6, 2022, a man pushed his bike into the rubble and destroyed Russian military vehicles in Bucha. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images/File)
The White House says it “remains to be seen” whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will finally face justice for war crimes after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant on Friday, but the United States will continue to help. Ukraine misdeeds to document Moscow.
“We remain committed to assisting Ukraine as it documents, analyzes and preserves evidence of war crimes, atrocities and crimes against humanity committed at the hands of Russian forces inside Ukraine,” the Security Council said. strategic communications coordinator John Kirby told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday.
The United States does not recognize the ICC, but Kirby said, “The United States is not going to back down from our belief that these war crimes should be held to account no matter how long it takes.”
Kirby said the U.S. wants “war criminals to be held accountable,” but declined to say whether U.S. President Joe Biden would ask law enforcement to arrest Putin if he did. The Russian leader said it was “highly unlikely” that he would go. America.
Asked if the US would also ask other countries that do not recognize the ICC, such as Israel or India, to arrest the Russian leader, Kirby said, “Those leaders have to make sovereign decisions.”
Remember: Russia also does not recognize the ICC, and the court does not conduct trials in absentia, so Putin must be extradited by Moscow or arrested abroad to face court charges.
Moscow’s relations with Beijing: Tapper also asked Kirby if there was any intelligence that China had decided to supply Russia with weapons to aid the country’s attack on Ukraine.
“We don’t think they’ve taken that off the table yet, but we’ve seen no indication, no confirmation, that they’re moving in that direction, that they’ve sent lethal weapons,” Kirby added.
“We don’t think it’s in your best interest. Frankly, Mr.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Moscow next week to meet with Putin, his first visit to Russia since Putin launched his disastrous invasion of Ukraine a year ago.
The visit will be seen in Western capitals as a powerful show of Beijing’s support for Moscow, with leaders growing increasingly wary of deepening the two countries’ partnership as war continues in Europe.
CNN’s Nectar Kane and Anna Chernova contributed to this report.
