According to Rep. Michael McCall (Texas Republican), the Republican Ukrainian delegation witnessed evidence that Russian soldiers were involved in summary executions, torture, rape and other crimes against humanity.
According to McCall, who chaired the House Foreign Relations Committee and now heads the delegation, the Russian military has committed crimes collectively, covering up evidence by burning the bodies of abused people.
“We have just returned from Bucha to see war crimes committed in violation of the Geneva Conventions.[s]'” McCall said at a Feb. 21 press conference after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“These criminals, the innocent civilians killed by these Russian soldiers. was obliterated.”
McCall has vowed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his regime will be brought to justice for their crimes.
“These crimes will not be tolerated and we will bring justice,” McCall said.
“America stands with Ukraine in its fight for freedom and democracy. We Americans hold these values true and dear.”
United States claimed Russia’s involvement in crimes against humanity in Ukraine since March last year.
McCall’s remarks closely align with those of Vice President Kamala Harris, who officially restated the White House’s position earlier this month.
“The United States has formally determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity. will be questioned.” Said.
Ukraine wants weapons ‘necessary to win’
McCaul’s delegation to Ukraine almost coincided with a surprise visit to Kiev by President Joe Biden, who is scheduled to address in Poland on the situation of war and Ukraine’s commitment to the international order.
The MP’s remarks appeared to mostly refer to the widely publicized massacre in Bucha, where Russian soldiers killed more than 400 people, including civilians and children, in 2022.
Russia has been suspended by the UN Human Rights Council for crimes such as Bucha, becoming the second country to be disqualified from the UN Human Rights Council after Libya in 2011.
Moscow is now gathering troops and supplies for a spring offensive on Ukraine, reportedly seeking to annex both moldova and Belarus to Russia.
To that end, McCall said the United States and its NATO allies are strongly committed to defending each other and Ukraine.
“I would say there is broad bipartisan support between the United States and its NATO and European allies to support Ukraine against Russian aggression,” McCall said.
McCall said the delegation visited locations where weapons were brought into Ukraine from the international community, noting that controls and safeguards were in place to track the money and weapons.
He said the delegation spoke with Zelensky about what types of weapons Ukraine needs in the coming months, and that the US should provide the country with more long-range artillery capabilities and air-to-ground systems such as the F-16. He added that he said
“We mostly talked about what he needs to do to win this war,” McCall said of the discussion. to this delegation.”