US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's action in Ukraine has "already killed and injured innocent people" and forced over 1.5 million people to "flee their country."
Austin was speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with Finland's Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen at the Pentagon on Wednesday. Austin also thanked Finland for sending aid to Ukraine amid the crisis, American broadcaster CNN reported on Thursday [local time].
"Your government's decision to send assistance will certainly help the brave people of Ukraine, and I know that they are grateful for it," Austin said.
Kaikkonen citing the Ukraine-Russia conflict said that the crisis in Ukraine is not a European crisis, it's a "global crisis."
"The war in Ukraine has profound implications for European security, for EU, for NATO, for Finland. But as both of our Presidents have stressed, this is not a European crisis, this is a global crisis and in these troubling times, Finland stands ready to work together with the United States," Kaikkonen was quoted as saying by CNN.
On the other hand, while speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Ukrainian Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova thanked 39 countries that stood against Russia and reportedly joined Ukraine's appeal in the International Court of Justice, according to CNN.
"International Humanitarian Law, International Public law, all the institutions created after World War 2 as preventative, are not quite capable. Therefore, we need new models, new mechanisms. We're asking our partners to joint investigative models, because the ones we have unfortunately don't work," she said.
Venediktova also announced that her office had already launched criminal investigations into "encroachment of territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine and waging an aggressive war" and issued warnings to 40 individuals that are part of Russia's political elite.
Venediktova also unveiled a new government portal, warcrimes.gov.ua. where the public can report about the war crimes they witness in Ukraine.
( With inputs from ANI )
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