WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the U.S. claim that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine amid reports that Ukrainian forces had uncovered a mass grave in the city of Izyum, while again pushing back against pressure to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
Reports of a mass grave in the retaken city of Izyum are “part, horrifically, of a continuum, an ongoing story,” Blinken told reporters at a briefing. “Whenever we see the Russian tide recede from the parts of Ukraine that it’s occupied, we see what’s left in its wake.”
He said it was important for Ukraine and its partners “to build the evidence and document the atrocities that have been committed — and in many instances, these amount to war crimes.”
