Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday did not follow Secretary of State Antony Blinken in calling Russia's actions in Ukraine war crimes when asked during a press conference, Fox News reports.
Austin was asked during a press briefing alongside Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad if Russia's actions, especially those against civilians, constitute war crimes.
"Well, certainly we've all been shocked by the brutality that we continue to witness day in and day out," Austin said. "These attacks that we've seen most recently appear to be focused directly on civilians.
"Of course, you know, if you attack civilians on purpose, target civilians purposely, then that's not — that is a crime," he continued. "So, these actions are under review by our State Department, and, of course, there will be and there's a process that will go through to review all of this."
Blinken on Thursday said that "intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime," adding that it's "difficult to conclude that the Russians are doing otherwise."
Previously, Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" due to the Russian military's actions in Ukraine.
"Putin is inflicting appalling, appalling devastation and horror on Ukraine, bombing apartment buildings, maternity wards, hospitals. I mean, it's God-awful," Biden said on Wednesday. "The world is united in our support for Ukraine and our determination to make Putin pay a very heavy price."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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