Washington. The United States, European nations, Israel, the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Pope Francis yesterday expressed their horror after the dissemination of images of corpses of civilians in Bucha, near kyiv.
Joining the international condemnation of the execution of civilians attributed by the government of the Ukrainian president, Volodymir Zelensky, to the Russian military, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, described the images as “a punch in the stomach”, and ” brutality against civilians that we had not seen in Europe for decades; it is horrible and absolutely unacceptable.
“We cannot anesthetize ourselves or normalize this situation,” added the head of Washington diplomacy, who told CNN: “This will be the daily reality as long as Russia’s brutality against Ukraine continues,” adding that his government helps document possible crimes. of war.
Reporters from the AFP news agency saw at least 20 bodies, all in civilian clothes, scattered on a single street in the city of Bucha this weekend. One had his hands tied behind his back with a white cloth and his Ukrainian passport open next to his body.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply shocked” by the images and demanded “an independent investigation.”
German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz demanded that the “crimes committed by the Russian army” in Bucha be clarified and that “the perpetrators of these crimes and their sponsors be held accountable.”
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, tweeted: “the images that reach us from Bucha, a liberated city near kyiv, are unbearable” while his chancellor, Jean-Yves Le Drian, affirmed that these acts attributed by the Ukrainian authorities to the Russian army “if they are confirmed” they constitute “war crimes”.
“We will work, in collaboration with our partners, the Ukrainian authorities and the competent international jurisdictions, especially the International Criminal Court, so that these acts do not go unpunished and that those responsible are tried and convicted,” declared the French Foreign Minister.
The president of the Italian Council of Ministers, Mario Draghi, denounced “the massacres of civilians” in Ukraine, and warned that “the Russian authorities will have to be held accountable.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called Moscow’s “despicable attacks” on civilians in Bucha “war crimes” and vowed to tighten sanctions against Moscow.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Russia must account for the “appalling and appalling” killings of civilians and said those responsible “will be brought to justice.”
European Council President Charles Michel has promised new EU sanctions after accusing the Russian military of committing “atrocities”.
The Israeli ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, condemned the killings of civilians as “war crimes”. The Israeli condemnation is of particular importance, given the calculated stance of neutrality displayed by the Israeli authorities.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the killings of civilians in Bucha “unacceptable” and said he was “not too optimistic” about Russia’s announcement of a withdrawal from the outskirts of kyiv. “What we see is not a withdrawal, but Moscow is repositioning its troops,” he told CNN.
“In a way, we shouldn’t be too optimistic because the attacks will continue, and possibly increase,” he added, noting that the alliance has trained thousands of Ukraine’s military in recent years.
Blinken echoed that warning in a statement to MSNBC, noting that Moscow still has “the ability to cause mass death and destruction, even in places like kyiv, with air power and missiles.” But he also said the change appears to be “evidence that Russia’s original plans to take over the entire country, including kyiv, have suffered a devastating setback.
“Russia had three goals: to subjugate Ukraine to its will, to deny its sovereignty and independence, to assert Russian power and divide the West, to divide the alliance. And on all three fronts she has failed,” Blinken asserted.
The US official considered it key that the West and kyiv maintain pressure on Russia. “We are doing everything we can to support the Ukrainians. All of that will strengthen kyiv’s position at the negotiating table,” he told CNN.
Blinken indicated that if Ukraine negotiates an agreement “that meets its needs, we will support it.”
Pope Francis again condemned the “sacrilegious war” in a “martyred” Ukraine and called on the world to show kindness and compassion to refugees, concluding a visit to Malta.
Already on the plane back to the Vatican, Jorge Mario Bergoglio commented that he is still working to set up a meeting with the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and commented that he would not rule out traveling to the region if that be helpful.
The director of the Latvian natural gas storage operator reported that the Baltic countries, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, no longer import Russian natural gas.
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