Video: Kamala Harris claims Russia committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine

Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday stressed that Russia must be held accountable for its "barbaric" actions in Ukraine, telling a security conference in Munich that states States had officially determined that Moscow forces had committed crimes against humanity.

Ms. Harris was among a number of Western officials, including Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, showing unwavering resolve on behalf of Ukraine at the annual Munich Security Conference days before the first anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Russia.

The Vice President noted how, a year earlier at the same conference, she had put in guard against the impending Russian invasion of Ukraine. At the time, Ms. Harris said, many wondered how the West would react and whether Ukraine would be prepared.

"Today, one year later , we know: stand up,” she said. "Russia is weakened, the transatlantic alliance is stronger than ever."

His remarks highlighted the horrors that happened in Ukraine last year, evoking images of atrocities carried out by Russian forces in places like Bucha and Mariupol.

Russia's actions in Ukraine are an "attack on our common values", said Ms Harris, describing how Moscow forces carried out "horrific acts of murder", torture, rape and deportation as part of a "widespread and systemic attack on a civilian population".

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Crimes against humanity and war crimes are notoriously difficult to prosecute and prove, but Ms Harris cited her experience as a prosecutor saying that "we looked evidence" and "there is no doubt" that Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine.

"I tell everyone who perpetrated these crimes and their superiors that an accomplice to these crimes: you will be held accountable," she said.

Mrs. Harris spoke as Russia steps up its offensive in eastern Ukraine, and the vice president acknowledged that Ukrainians and transatlantic unity will continue to be tested.

"There will be darker days in Ukraine," she said, adding that if Russian President Vladimir V. Putin "thinks he can wait for us, he is gravely mistaken. Time is not on his side."

Neither Ms. Harris nor Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken - who issued a statement - only referred to Mr. Putin by name when addressing the determination of crimes against humanity.

President Biden last March called Mr. Putin a "war criminal" for civilian deaths in Ukraine. The White House initially pushed back on the comments, saying the United States had "not reached any conclusions" on whether war crimes were being committed in Ukraine and that the case was under investigation. a formal legal review. Mr. Blinken later said he agreed with Mr. Biden's assessment.

In September, a United Nations panel of experts concluded in a damning statement that war crimes had been committed in the conflict - although he said they had not at that time concluded that the violations constituted crimes against humanity, which involve acts committed "as part of a widespread or systematic attack" against a civilian population.

On Saturday, Blinken said designations of crimes against humanity were reserved to the "most serious crimes". Washington's emphasis on this point now, he said, "underscores the staggering extent of the human suffering inflicted by Moscow on the civilian population of Ukraine" and reflects the United States' commitment to holding the forces and responsible Russian officials.

"There can be no impunity for these crimes", he said.

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