Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid tribute to Fox News reporter Benjamin Hall, who was injured while reporting in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country.
During a press briefing on Thursday, Blinken said that “there should be a seat reserved” in the press room honoring Hall for his courage in Ukraine. And he praised Hall’s colleagues at Fox News, cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian producer Oleksandra Kurshynova, who were killed in the attack.
FOX NEWS: BENJAMIN HALL ‘SAFE AND OUT OF UKRAINE’
“Many of us, myself included, got to know Ben very well as part of the traveling press corps. He’s an incredibly talented reporter. Always asking tough questions, he was a lovely person as well. Our thoughts, my thoughts are with him and his family, including his three kids,” he said at the top of the briefing.
Hall was badly injured when his vehicle was struck by incoming fire in Ukraine earlier this week. The attack left his leg injured and killed his colleagues Zakrzewski and Kurshynova. Fox News revealed Wednesday that Hall was moved out of Ukraine to seek treatment and is “alert and in good spirits.”
Blinken emphasized the dangers and the importance of reporting in war zones and noted how the war in Ukraine has taken a toll on many people, including reporters in the briefing room who knew Hall.
“Being a war correspondent is vital work. They make sure that the world knows what’s really happening when armies move in and bombs start falling. It also takes incredible courage,” he said. “They go into war zones while others are understandably heading out as fast as possible. So these are huge losses, of course, for family, friends, but also for their colleagues and profession.”
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Blinken also said he personally agrees with President Joe Biden’s assertion that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a war criminal. He said the department would be monitoring the situation in Ukraine and investigating possible war crimes. He also reiterated America’s concerns that Russia could deploy chemical weapons in Ukraine.
“We’ll make sure that our findings help international efforts to investigate war crimes and hold those responsible accountable,” he said. “We believe that Moscow may be setting the stage to use a chemical weapon and then blame Ukraine to justify escalating attacks on the Ukrainian people.”
