US ambassador: ‘Any attack on civilians is a war crime’

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said during a discussion of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Sunday that “any attack on civilians is a war crime.” 

During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” host George Stephanopoulos showed a tweet to U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) that detailed Russian forces bombing residential buildings and areas, noting that President Biden recently said it was to say if war crimes have been committed. 

“We just showed that footage of the bombing of civilian areas. Isn’t that a war crime?” Stephanopoulos asked Thomas-Greenfield. 

 “Any attack on civilians is a war crime. And we’re working with our partners to collect and provide information on this so that we can investigate this and have it ready in the event that war crimes are brought before this government,” Thomas-Greenfield told Stephanopoulos.  

Thomas-Greenfield also said that U.S. officials are planning to implement more sanctions on Russian oligarchs, adding that existing measures are already having an impact. 

“Well, as you know, some assets have been seized in Europe. Many of the oligarchs have seen their properties seized in Europe. And we’re continuing to discuss with European colleagues how we can impose more sanctions and ensure that they’re felt by the Russian people,” Thomas-Greenfield told Stephanopoulos. 

“We’ve seen the impact already of some of these sanctions. As you know, the ruble is worth less than a penny right now. The Russian Central Bank is not functioning completely. The stock market has been closed. So the sanctions are having the impact and Putin is feeling the results of those sanctions,” Thomas-Greenfield concluded. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a series of international sanctions being leveled against Moscow. U.S. companies in a variety of sectors have also moved to end business with Russia. 

The UN’s refugee agency said on Thursday that more than 1 million Ukrainian citizens had fled the country since the invasion.