Biden Calls for Putin to Face War Crimes Trial over Ukraine Atrocities

• President Joe Biden has called for President Vladimir Putin to stand trial for war crimes.
• Biden issued a powerful statement against Putin on Monday, April 4.
• «Putin is a war criminal,» Biden declared.

A powerful statement. On Monday, April 4, President Joe Biden called for a war crimes trial against Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also stated that he will seek to implement more sanctions against Putin’s government after the reports of atrocities committed in Ukraine.

«You saw what happened in Bucha,» said Biden, who also stated that Putin «is a war criminal.» Biden declared that he should face trial for ongoing killing of civilians and destruction of residential and medical facilities.

Biden calls for war crimes trial against Putin

The AP and AL.com reported that Biden made the comments to the press on Monday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Bucha, one of the towns near Kyiv where Ukrainian officials have reported finding dead civilians.

Zelenskyy called Russia’s actions «genocide» and called for the West to implement tougher sanctions against Moscow. The bodies of 410 civilians have been removed from towns around Kyiv that were recently retaken from Russian forces, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said.

Biden calls out Putin’s atrocities in Ukraine

Some journalists from The Associated Press saw the bodies of at least 21 people in various posts around Bucha, northwest of the capital. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted on Monday that the European Union would send investigators to Ukraine to help the local attorney general «document war crimes,» both outlets reported.

The news agency also reported that Russia was facing a new round of international condemnation on Monday, as evidence emerged of what appeared to be deliberate killings of civilians in Ukraine. Some Western leaders called for more sanctions in response to the alleged atrocities, as Moscow continued its offensive in the east of the country.

Civilian bodies have been found scattered around towns near Kyiv

The AP reported that the German defense minister suggested that the European Union talk about a ban on Russian gas imports, although senior officials said an immediate boycott was not possible. This suggests that Western leaders might have trouble tightening already-strong sanctions on Russia anytime soon.

Ukrainian authorities said they found the bodies of 410 civilians in towns around the capital, Kyiv, that had been taken over by Russian forces. In Bucha, northwest of the capital, a group of nine people, all in civilian clothes, were scattered around a place that Russian troops used as a base, residents said. They appeared to have been executed at close range. At least two of them had their hands tied behind their backs, one of them was shot in the head, and another had his legs tied.

Global outrage

Images of battered bodies dumped on the streets or in makeshift graves sparked outrage that could mark a turning point after nearly six weeks of war, the AP reported. But so far, sanctions have failed to stop energy sales. Rising energy prices, coupled with tight controls on the Russian foreign exchange market, have lessened their impact as the ruble has rebounded strongly after an initial slump.

Western and Ukrainian leaders have accused Russia of war crimes before and the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s office has opened an inquiry to investigate the conflict. But the latest reports increased the level of conviction. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and some Western leaders have even accused Russia of genocide, the AP reported.

Ukraine demands a new round of sanctions against Russia

«What just happened in Bucha requires a new round of sanctions and very clear measures,» Macron told France-Inter broadcaster. «Particularly on coal and oil, we have to act.» Separately, AP noted, European Council President Charles Michel tweeted earlier that the EU is assisting Ukrainians and rights groups to gather evidence that can be used in international courts and «more EU sanctions and support are on the way.»

The president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, also called for those responsible for the murders in Bucha to be held accountable and said that they must «deal with these alleged cases of crimes against humanity, war crimes or, why not say it, also genocide.”

Russia is a «totalitarian fascist» country

Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki described Russia as a «totalitarian fascist» country and said that «the bloody massacres perpetrated by Russian soldiers deserve to be called by their name: this is genocide.” It is difficult to prove the crime of genocide because the prosecution would have to show that the killers or those responsible had a «specific intent» to totally or partially destroy a group of people, the AP said.

The United States and its allies have tried to retaliate against Russia for the war with sweeping sanctions. But they may be reluctant to impose measures that will do more damage to a global economy still reeling from the Covid pandemic. As a major exporter of oil and gas, Russia is in a position to benefit from any rise in already high energy prices, the AP explained.

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