U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris says the United States has concluded that Russia committed “crimes against humanity” in its unprovoked war against Ukraine, with its forces having pursued “widespread and systemic” attacks against civilians in the country.
Harris made the comments in a speech on February 18 at the Munich Security Conference, where she said the United States reached the conclusion after examining evidence.
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“The U.S. has formally determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity,” Harris said, adding that the actions of Russian forces are “an assault on our common value and our common humanity.”
Harris cited a list of abuses by Russian forces in Ukraine — including torture and rape as well as the bombing of a Mariupol maternity hospital, that killed three people, including a child.
“Let us all agree: On behalf of all the victims, known and unknown, justice must be served,” Harris said.
She also said the United States will support Ukraine for “as long as it takes.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is also attending the conference, said in a statement that “we reserve crimes against humanity determinations for the most egregious crimes.”
“As today’s determination shows, the United States will pursue justice for the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Blinken added.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed the U.S. statement, saying that Russia had started a “genocidal war” against his country.
“Everything that stems from that is crimes against humanity, war crimes, and various other atrocities committed by the Russian army in the territory of Ukraine,” he told reporters in Munich.
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the conference that Ukraine’s Western allies must provide Ukraine what it needs to defeat Russia.
“We must give Ukraine what they need to win and prevail as a sovereign, independent nation in Europe,” he told the annual gathering in Germany.
Western support for Ukraine has been top on the agenda at the conference, where heads of states, officials, diplomats, and experts meet to discuss major security topics.
European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen told the security forum on February 18 that allies must “double down” on military support for Ukraine.
“We have to double down and we have to continue the really massive support that is necessary [so] that these imperialistic plans of [President Vladimir] Putin will completely fail,” she said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy renewed calls on the West to maintain speedy delivery of weapons and other supplies to Ukraine, as he opened the three-day summit by video link on February 17.
The Ukrainian leader said Russia should not be allowed to buy time for its aggression, as the Kremlin’s unprovoked invasion approaches its first anniversary.
“We need to hurry up. We need speed — speed of our agreements, speed of our delivery…speed of decisions to limit Russian potential,” Zelenskiy said, speaking from Ukraine.
Ukraine wouldn’t be the last stop of the invasion, and Russia would continue to other former Soviet countries, he warned. Zelenskiy said that while Western countries were haggling over tank deliveries to Ukraine, Putin was contemplating ways to “strangle” Ukraine’s neighbor Moldova.
The conference is being attended by about 40 heads of states and governments, as well as politicians and security experts from almost 100 countries.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are attending the gathering along with a large congressional delegation. Harris is scheduled to address the conference on February 18.
“We will make sure that we do everything possible within our power to strengthen Ukraine’s position on the battlefield. So that if and when there are negotiations, Ukraine will be in the strongest position in a negotiation,” Harris told MSNBC in an interview that aired on February 17.
For the first time in two decades, Russia hasn’t been invited to the conference, as Western countries seek to isolate Moscow diplomatically over its invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking at the conference, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his country will soon be able to send its first Leopard tanks to Ukraine according to an agreement reached in January.
Scholz said his country’s support for Ukraine was “designed to last,” and he urged allies to speed up deliveries of heavy tanks and other supplies promised to Kyiv.
French President Emmanuel Macron joined in the call for allies to “intensify support” for Ukraine, and said now was not the time for dialogue with Russia.
“It is not the time for dialogue because we have a Russia which has chosen war, which has chosen to intensify the war, and which has chosen to go as far as committing war crimes and to attacking civilian infrastructure,” Macron said.
Other topics at the conference include the U.S.-China tensions and concerns over climate change.
The situation in Iran and the recent antiestablishment protests were also discussed during a panel on February 18 attended by U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (Democrat-New Jersey) as well as the former crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, and rights activist Masih Alinejad.
Pahlavi told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that he wanted to bring the demands of Iranians to the world.
Iranian officials have not been invited to the security meeting.
