House Minority Whip Steve Scalise accused Russia of committing genocide as the war in Ukraine nears its fourth week.
Reacting to a graphic video Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared with members of Congress in a virtual speech to lawmakers Wednesday, Scalise said the footage showed “the sheer brutality of what Putin is doing inside Ukraine.”
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“It was very difficult to watch. It was heartbreaking,” the Louisiana Republican said Wednesday in a press conference after the address. “But it shows you that there’s nothing less than genocide going on in Ukraine by Putin and his army.”
In his speech, Zelensky played a video appearing to show footage of dead and wounded Ukrainians interspersed between clips of Russian missile strikes. Scalise’s office did not respond to a request to clarify what actions by Russia the congressman believes constitute genocide.
The escalating rhetoric comes the same day President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal.”
The conflict has killed hundreds of civilians in Ukraine, the United Nations said Thursday, including at least 41 children. “Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, and missile and airstrikes,” the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights reported.
In the lead-up to the invasion, Russia claimed Ukraine was committing genocide against the Russian-speaking population in the country’s east, which Kyiv and U.S. officials have called a fabricated pretext for its assault.
“What is happening in the Donbas today is genocide,” Putin said days before ordering his forces into Ukraine.
In disputing the genocide claims, Ukraine brought the matter to the U.N.’s top court, which ordered Russia to suspend its military operations Wednesday. Zelensky celebrated the ruling as a “complete victory” for Ukraine “in its case against Russia,” although the decision is largely symbolic since it has no enforcement mechanism.
Zelensky pressed the United States on Wednesday to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine and send more weaponry as the country attempts to fend off the Russian invasion. GOP leaders used his speech to demand that Biden allow the transfer of Poland’s MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, a move the Biden administration fears Russia would view as “escalatory.”
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“The longer President Biden waits, trying to figure out excuses to not offend Putin, it’s costing lives in Ukraine,” Scalise said, echoing remarks by fellow House GOP leaders Kevin McCarthy and Elise Stefanik. “He’s got to make that happen.”
Biden announced $800 million in military aid for Ukraine following Zelensky’s address. The assistance will include the transfer of anti-aircraft systems and anti-armor missiles, partly drawing on the $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine that Congress passed last week.
