Biden: Putin Should Be Tried As A War Criminal; Zelensky Visits Bucha

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 24: U.S. President Joe Biden answers questions after delivering remarks about Russia's “unprovoked and unjustified" military invasion of neighboring Ukraine in the East Room of the White House on February 24, 2022 in Washington, DC. Biden announced a new round of sanctions against Russia after President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine from the land, sea and air on Thursday. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

President Biden reacted on Monday to the massacre of civilians in Ukraine. The Associated Press writes:

“You saw what happened in Bucha,” Biden said. He added that Putin “is a war criminal”

Biden’s comments to reporters came after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Bucha, one of the towns surrounding Kyiv where Ukrainian officials say the bodies of civilians have been found. Zelenskyy called the Russian actions “genocide” and called for the West to apply tougher sanctions against Russia.
The Associated Press

The President said he will be seeking more sanctions against Russia because of what happened in Bucha, now abandoned by Putin’s troops. Biden also called for fact gathering that could lead to a “war crimes trial.”

As Russian troops withdraw in an apparent effort to refocus on Ukraine’s south and east, the scope of the devastation is coming into grim focus and sparking global calls for war-crime probes — fueled by the discovery of alleged mass graves and images of dead civilians lining the streets in the Kyiv suburb Bucha.
The Washington Post

BIDEN: [Putin] is a war criminal. …We have to gather all the detail [to] have a war crime trial. This guy is brutal. What’s happening in Bucha is outrageous.

…

REPORTER: Do you agree that it’s genocide?

BIDEN: No, I think it’s a war crime. …I’m seeking more sanctions. pic.twitter.com/HDGfbS4DaP
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) April 4, 2022

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelensky toured Bucha on Monday.

He addressed the cameras around him briefly, saying that it was “very difficult” for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia following the atrocities carried out by Russian forces in Bucha. Zelensky said the atrocities carried out in the town typify “the nature of the Russian military” and added that they “treat people worse than animals.”
CNN

Zelensky, visiting Bucha, told reporters that NATO leaders "should come here and see how these games, how this flirting with the Russian federation ends." He also said "it's very difficult to negotiate [with Russia] when you see what they have done here." https://t.co/8Og6xEKeXG
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) April 4, 2022

“We are being destroyed and exterminated, and this is happening in the Europe of the 21st century”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on CBS News Face The Nation

Condemnation for what happened in Bucha intensified on Monday.

Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, called for an international investigation into what he termed a “genocide” carried out by Russian troops, saying it was essential to “find out the truth on the extent of Russian fascist crimes”.

Urging tougher western sanctions and an end to “negotiations with criminals”, Morawiecki said the “bloody massacres committed by Russian soldiers deserve to be called what they are. This is genocide, and it must be judged.”
The Guardian