Russia committed war crimes in Syria and violated the international order with its annexation of Crimea, the president-elect’s pick for United Nations ambassador affirmed Wednesday.
South Carolina governor Nikki Haley appeared to take a tougher line on Russia than President-elect Donald Trump, who has said that he will mend relations with the Kremlin. She also diverged from Trump’s pick for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who, while describing Russia as an “unfriendly adversary,” paused on the subject of sanctions and hesitated to call Russian president Vladimir Putin a war criminal.
“Russia is trying to show their muscle right now. It is what they do,” Haley said during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “I think we always have to be cautious. I don’t think that we can trust them.”
“I certainly think [sanctions] should be preserved, and I don’t think they should be lifted unless we have seen as a strong change from the Russian government,” she said.
The South Carolina governor affirmed that Russian actions in Syria amount to war crimes.
“Do you believe that Russia committed war crimes when it ultimately indiscriminately bombed civilians in Aleppo and hospitals in Aleppo?” said New Jersey senator Bob Menendez.
“Yes, I do,” Haley said, and later agreed with Indiana senator Todd Young when he described the atrocities committed by Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as genocide.
Haley also rejected Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its incursion into eastern Ukraine.
“Do you believe that Russia violated the international order when it annexed Crimea and invaded Ukraine?” Menendez asked.
“Yes, I do,” Haley said.
In his January confirmation hearing, Tillerson said that he does not have “sufficient information” to describe Putin as a war criminal. He would also not commit to maintaining or increasing sanctions on Russia, describing sanctions as a “powerful tool” that must be designed, targeted, and enforced well.
Still, Tillerson talked tough on Russia in other respects, condemning the country’s actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine and indicating support for lethal defensive aid to Ukraine. The former ExxonMobil CEO, like Haley, also urged cooperation with Russia in areas of common interest.
