US President Joe Biden on Monday said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin should face a war crime trial after mass graves were found in areas around Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The Democrat further said that he’d seek more sanctions against Moscow.
Biden’s statement came as Russia faced a fresh wave of condemnation after evidence emerged of what appeared to be deliberate killings of civilians in Ukraine. The United Kingdom, Germany, European Union and NATO were some parties that called out Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
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“You saw what happened in Bucha,” Biden said. He added that Putin “is a war criminal”
Ukrainian authorities reported that about 280 civilians were buried in mass graves around Kyiv. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Bucha. He called the Russian actions “genocide” and called for the West to apply tougher sanctions against Russia.
The bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from Kyiv-area towns that were recently retaken from Russian forces, Ukraine’s prosecutor-general, Iryna Venediktova, said.
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“We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight. And we have to gather all the detail so this can be an actual — have a war crimes trial,” Biden said, further describing Putin as brutal.
“What’s happening in Bucha is outrageous and everyone sees it,” Biden added.
However, Russia rejected the allegations. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the scenes outside Kyiv as a “stage-managed anti-Russian provocation.”
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He said the mayor of Bucha made no mention of atrocities a day after Russian troops left last week, but two days later scores of bodies were photographed scattered in the streets.
Lavrov said that Moscow wants an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the matter.