Echoing Biden, Blinken says he believes Russia committing 'war crimes' in Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday he "personally" agrees that President Joe Biden that war cimes have been committed in Ukraine.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that he personally believes war crimes have been committed in Ukraine, a day after President Joe Biden labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" for the first time since Putin launched his invasion.

"Yesterday, President Biden said that in his opinion, war crimes have been committed in Ukraine. Personally, I agree," Blinken said. "Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime. After all the destruction of the past few weeks, I find it difficult to conclude that the Russians are doing otherwise."

Before the U.S. officially labels Putin's actions as war crimes, Blinken said State Department experts from the Office of Global Criminal Justice are documenting and evaluating evidence for a formal determination and will share those findings with those responsible for accountability. But he acknowledged reports on intentional attacks from the bombing of a Drama Theater housing children to opening fire at people waiting in line for bread.

"These incidents join a long list of attacks on civilian non-military locations across Ukraine, including apartment buildings, public squares, and last week, a maternity hospital in Mariupol," he said. "I doubt that any of us who saw those images will ever forget."