by Chris York. July 22, 2024
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an NCAA championship teams celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. U.S. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
As U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris moved closer to securing the Democratic Party nomination, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov made clear that Russia was paying attention.
“So far, her contribution to our bilateral relations has not been noticed,” said Peskov, only to later notice the vice president’s “unfriendly” remarks.
“There were statements that were replete with rhetoric quite unfriendly towards our country,” he said.
While Peskov didn’t specify exactly which comments from Harris he was referring to, she has been outspoken over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on several occasions.
'Gruesome and cruel'
In February 2023, Harris described Russia as “horrendous,” “gruesome,” and “cruel,” while announcing that the U.S. had determined that the Kremlin had committed war crimes in Ukraine.
“In the case of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, we have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt: These are crimes against humanity,” she said.
“First, from the starting days of this unprovoked war, we have witnessed Russian forces engage in horrendous atrocities and war crimes.”
Harris then went on to list the acts committed by Russia, all of which are backed up by extensive evidence.
“Russian forces have pursued a widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population – gruesome acts of murder, torture, rape, and deportation. Execution-style killings, beating and electrocution,” she said.
“Russian authorities have forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of people from Ukraine to Russia, including children. They have cruelly separated children from their families.”
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for several Russians, most notably President Vladimir Putin himself last year, for the forced deportations of more than 19,000 Ukrainian children to Russia.
More recently, the (ICC) announced on June 25 that it had issued arrest warrants for Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, and General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, for war crimes against Ukraine.
'Unprovoked'
A day after the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Harris, in a post on social media, described it as “unprovoked” and “unjustified.”
All eyes around our country and the world are on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I want to be clear that this is a war of choice. It is unprovoked, it is unwarranted, and it is unjustified.
While Russia initially claimed the invasion was launched to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine, and was provoked by “NATO expansion” as the war dragged on, even Putin has admitted otherwise.
In a speech in June 2022, he said it was an imperial war to “return” Ukraine, which he described as Russian land.
'A failure'
In February of this year, Harris described the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as an “utter failure.”
Putin’s war in Ukraine has been an utter failure for Russia. The world has come together, with U.S. leadership, to defend the basic principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to stop an imperialist authoritarian from subjugating a free and democratic people.
By the Kremlin’s own standards this is an accurate assessment. Just days after the invasion began, Russian state media accidentally revealed Putin’s goals and expected timeframe of victory.
In an article that was quickly deleted, several news agencies lauded Putin for Russia’s swift victory, solving “the Ukraine problem,” and declaring that “Ukraine has returned to Russia.”
As Russia continues its brutal aggression against the people of Ukraine, we are committed to help Ukraine rebuild. Today in Switzerland, I announced $1.5 billion to help Ukraine’s energy system, humanitarian needs, and civilian security.
'Brutal'
Just last month, Harris described Russian aggression against Ukraine as “brutal.”
In the 17 months since she described it as “gruesome” and “cruel,” Russia’s actions in Ukraine have only continued, and more and more cases of brutal behavior have occurred.
A non-exhaustive list of alleged war crimes include the beheading of Ukrainian POWs, using civilians as human shields, multiple incidences of targeting rescue workers with double-tap strikes, murdering teenagers, continued and escalating aerial attacks on civilian infrastructure, and the bombing of children’s hospitals.
News Editor
Chris York is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post. Previously, back in Britain, he spent nearly a decade working for HuffPost UK. He holds an MA in Conflict, Development, and Security from the University of Leeds.
Comment from :
Joseph Swanson
Retired/Disabled from a Clandestine Security Serv.
The criminally and clinically insane communist russian “government” wasting no time using that already over used label of ‘unfriendly rhetoric’ which is code for how dare you tell the truth about us, now you have forced us to tell lies about you.
Thérèse Boyle
PhD Communications·
Ruzzia’s ridiculous statements don’t fly outside of RU. They seem to have this bizarre belief that people take them seriously. …”Unfriendly rhetoric’ is just hilarious in the face of genocide… For shame, Kamala , you hurt their tender “feelings” (do terrorists have feelings?)
Joseph Swanson
Retired/Disabled from a Clandestine Security Serv.
communist russia’s state controlled tv news, more specifically vladimir solovyov of rossiya 1 referred to US Presidential candidate as “Worse than a monkey with a hand grenade.” See for yourselves on www dot moscow times dot com. The title of the article (from 24 hrs ago) is the racially derogatory insult directed at VP Harris.
Jim Carner
Equestrian events organiser in the UK
Watch the YouTube channel “Russian Media Monitor” if you want to see the utter insanity that is Russian propaganda for its home audience.
Vladimir Solovyov, Olga Skabeyeva and Margarita Simonyan are Russian propagandists, although I’d call them lunatics running the asylum.
Everything they accuse Ukraine and the west of doing, they’re guilty of themselves. Classic psychological projection.
…………
ALSO FROM THE KI:
With Biden out, what could a Kamala Harris presidency mean for Ukraine?
https://kyivindependent.com/with-biden-out-what-could-a-kamala-harris-presidency-mean-for-ukraine/
………….
AND FROM THE KP:
OPINION: ‘President’ Kamala Harris – Implications for Ukraine
https://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/36412
Vice President Kamala Harris: “I want to be clear that this is a war of choice. It is unprovoked, it is unwarranted, and it is unjustified.”
“Russian forces have pursued a widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population – gruesome acts of murder, torture, rape, and deportation. Execution-style killings, beating and electrocution,” she said.
“Russian authorities have forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of people from Ukraine to Russia, including children. They have cruelly separated children from their families.”
convicted felon and disgraced former president trumpkov: “I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful,”
There appears to be a growing consensus that Kamala will be tougher on the rat nazi than Biden.
If, as has been hinted, she gets rid of the abysmal Sullivan, his replacement can hardly be worse.
“There were statements that were replete with rhetoric quite unfriendly towards our country,”
Unfriendly words are all you war criminals deserve, that and carpet bombing of your trash cities.