Zelenskyy accuses Russians of genocide in war on Ukraine

WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said Russia’s war on Ukraine has amounted to “genocide” as reports and images continue to surface of civilians who were brutally tortured and killed by Russian forces.

“Indeed, this is genocide,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “The elimination of the whole nation and the people. We are the citizens of Ukraine. We have more than 100 nationalities. This is about the destruction and extermination of all these nationalities.”

As U.S. and European leaders continue to accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of committing war crimes against Ukrainian civilians in the more than monthlong invasion, Zelenskyy said it would be up to “the civilized world” to pursue charges against Putin and Russian military leaders.

“We wouldn't think that it would be fair to take only him,” Zelenskyy said via a translator. “I think all the military commanders, everyone who gave instructions and orders should be punished adequately. The adequate punishment to these people is difficult to be achieved. It has to be done according to the law and what they have done.”

Zelenskyy’s interview aired as images continued to emerge from the Kyiv suburb of Bucha of civilians who were reportedly executed by Russian forces as they retreated from the area retaken by Ukrainian forces. Some of the images show men who had their hands taped behind their back before they were shot, children shot at close range, and bodies in a mass grave.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense on Sunday issued a statement denying that the attacks were led by Russian troops.

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the images “a punch to the gut” and said “we can’t become numb to this. We can’t normalize this.”

“There needs to be accountability for it,” Blinken said.

Asked if the United States will take the step to formally accuse Russian forces of war crimes, Blinken said the United States “will look hard and document everything that we see, put it all together, make sure that the relevant institutions and organizations that are looking at this, including the State Department, have everything they need to assess exactly what took place in Ukraine, who's responsible and what it amounts to.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, appearing after Blinken on CNN, said it was critical for the International Criminal Court to continue its investigation into potential war crimes in Ukraine.

“It's horrific, and it's absolutely unacceptable that civilians are targeted and killed,” Stoltenberg said. “It just underlines the importance that this war must end, and that it’s President Putin's responsibility to stop the war.”

Asked about the future of peace talks with Russia, Zelenskyy said he will not meet with Putin until Russia abides by a cease-fire.

“What do we need this bloodshed, drama, performance for?” Zelenskyy said. “Let's simply sit down together, the two of us. We will discuss a point in time when the end of the war will come, and after we discuss the security guarantees together.”

Zelenskyy called on the United States and European allies to continue to support Ukrainian forces with additional weapons and equipment.

“Don't forget about Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “We have the same values … and we are fighting for freedom and we're going to win.”

By Laura Figueroa Hernandez

laura.figueroa@newsday.com@Laura_Figueroa

Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.