Blinken: Images of dead Ukrainians ‘a punch to the gut’

“You’ll be able to’t assist however see these photographs as a punch to the intestine,” Blinken informed CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” on Sunday. “For the reason that aggression, we have come out and mentioned that we consider that Russian forces have dedicated conflict crimes, and we have been working to doc that, to supply the data we have now to the related directions and organizations that can put all of this collectively. And there must be accountability for it.”

Final month, the State Division formally accused Russian forces of conflict crimes in Ukraine. Requested Sunday whether or not Russian troops had been committing genocide, Blinken mentioned, “We’ll look laborious and doc the whole lot that we see, put all of it collectively, make it possible for the related establishments and organizations which are taking a look at this, together with the State Division, have the whole lot they should assess precisely what came about in Ukraine, who’s accountable and what it quantities to.”

“It’s a brutality towards civilians we have not seen in Europe for many years. And it is horrific and it is completely unacceptable that civilians are focused and killed. And it simply underlines the significance that this conflict should finish,” Stoltenberg mentioned on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Additionally Sunday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton known as for additional motion towards Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, telling NBC’s “Meet The Press” that “Now’s the time to double down on the strain.”

“I feel we’re actually taking a look at this with our eyes large open and seeing very clearly the risk he poses, not simply to Ukraine, as we are able to watch each night time on our information, however actually to Europe, to democracy and the worldwide stability we thought we had been constructing within the final 20 years,” Clinton mentioned.

However Blinken mentioned the US and NATO international locations had been serving to to get Ukraine the weapons it wanted, including there would quickly be 10 anti-tank weapons programs within the county for each one Russian tank that is in Ukrainian territory.

“Throughout the board, what we’re making an attempt to do is be certain the Ukrainians have the programs they want that they will use and so they can use instantly,” Blinken mentioned.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, informed Fox on Sunday that he helps sending the Ukrainians “something that they will use and as quick as we are able to get it there.”

“We will not dither and fear about among the niceties right here when the Ukrainians are preventing for his or her very lives, and in the event that they really feel like they should take out a gas depot throughout Russian border, go for it,” he added, referring to an alleged strike on a Russian gas depot late final week.

“In the case of the longer term, we and allies and companions are going to need to be certain to do the whole lot we are able to to make sure that this will’t occur once more and that Ukraine has the means to defend itself, to discourage additional Russian aggression,” he mentioned. “So we are going to take a look at something we are able to do (to) again up that type of final result.”

This report has been up to date with extra response and particulars.