Blinken: Determination that Russia committed crimes against humanity ‘starkly clear’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a new interview that the determination that Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Moscow’s war against Ukraine is “starkly clear,” saying U.S. officials will examine every legal possibility to hold Russia accountable.

“The determination that we made — crimes against humanity — that the vice president announced today is unfortunately, starkly clear,” Blinken said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

“And we’ve seen that almost from day one.”

Blinken’s remarks come after Vice President Harris said in a speech on Saturday that the U.S. had formally determined that Russia had committed crimes against humanity.

“The United States has formally determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity, and I say to all those who have perpetrated these crimes, and to their superiors, who are complicit in these crimes, you will be held to account,” Harris said in Germany.

Blinken during the CBS interview cited some of the horrific details that have been chronicled from the war, including the Russian targeting of civilians and the forced displacement of children, placing them in centers in Russia. Blinken said Russian President Vladimir Putin is attempting to erase Ukrainian identity.

“President Putin has been trying from day one to erase Ukraine’s identity, to erase its future,” Blinken said. “That’s what’s going on, and that too, is a crime against humanity.”

Blinken also raised concerns over the relationship between Russia and China, saying Beijing is planning on supplying Russia with lethal support — everything from “ammunition to the weapons themselves” — as the war nears its one-year anniversary. 

“We’ve been concerned from day one about that possibility,” Blinken said. “The concern that we have now is based on information we have that they’re considering providing lethal support, and we’ve made very clear to them that that would cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship.”