The United States formally accuses Russia of war crimes

First it was, last week, something that seemed like a slip by Joe Biden.

Then, a thoughtful statement to the press by the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.

And this Wednesday the official accusation has arrived: the United States considers that Russia has committed "war crimes".

This is how Blinken made it known in a statement: "Today I can announce that, based on the information currently available, the United States Government understands that members of the Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine."

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The announcement has come while Biden was traveling to Brussels, where he will participate this Thursday in an extraordinary NATO summit and another of the G7, to discuss the best way to strengthen the alliance to stop Moscow.

He will also attend a meeting of the European Council.

On Friday he will travel to Warsaw for a bilateral meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

This morning (local time), before boarding the presidential plane in Washington, Biden told the press that he considers "very credible" the option that the Russian Army uses chemical weapons on the Ukrainian front.

“President Vladimir Putin has unleashed relentless violence causing death and destruction across the country.

We have seen numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks and deliberately targeted attacks against civilians, as well as other atrocities.

Russian forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping malls, and ambulances.

Those attacks have left thousands of innocent civilians dead or injured," Blinken's statement continues.

Many of these places were identified as sites for civilian use, such as the Mariupol maternity hospital, or a theater in the besieged city itself, which "was clearly marked with the word 'children' in Russian, with huge letters visible from the sky."

In that city alone, "as of March 22, the authorities estimate that more than 2,400 civilians have died," the statement continues.

"Excluding the devastation of Mariupol, the United Nations has officially confirmed more than 2,500 civilian casualties, including deaths and injuries, and stresses that the true number is likely higher."

Blinken denounces that "Putin's forces used these same tactics in Grozny, in Chechnya, and in Aleppo, in Syria, where they intensified their bombing of cities to break the will of the people."

"His attempt to do it in Ukraine," he adds, "has once again shocked the world and, as President Zelensky has soberly attested, 'bathed the people in blood and tears'."

"As with any alleged crime, a court of law with jurisdiction is ultimately responsible for determining criminal liability," the statement added.

“The US government will continue to track war crimes reports and share the information it collects with allies, partners, and international institutions and organizations, as appropriate.

We are committed to pursuing accountability using all available tools, including criminal prosecution."

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