BRUSSELS (AP) - European Union countries on Monday accused the Russian armed forces of committing war crimes in Ukraine, but appeared unlikely to impose new sanctions on Moscow despite a clamor across Europe for those responsible for attacks on civilians to be held to account.

With civilian deaths mounting in the besieged port city of Mariupol, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock highlighted the increase in Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and theaters.

The "courts will have to decide, but for me these are clearly war crimes," Baerbock said.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said before he chaired a meeting of the 27-nation bloc's foreign ministers in Brussels that "what´s happening in Mariupol is a massive war crime. Destroying everything, bombarding and killing everybody in an indiscriminate manner. This is something awful."

The encircled southern city on the Sea of Azov has seen some of the worst horrors of the war. Multiple attempts to evacuate residents from Mariupol have failed or only partly succeeded. City officials said at least 2,300 people have died in the siege, with some buried in mass graves.

Borrell underlined that "war also has law." The International Criminal Court in the Netherlands is gathering evidence about any possible war crimes in Ukraine, but Russia, like the United States, doesn't recognize the tribunal´s jurisdiction.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said his country is "certainly open to other mechanisms for accountability in terms of the atrocities that are taking place in Ukraine right now."

Coveney said Russia´s invasion of Ukraine is probably the first "war being played out on social media, where people see images happening live, and they´re outraged by it."

"This is driving a fury across the European Union within the public as to why can´t we stop this," he told reporters. "They want people held to account for the decisions taken and the brutality that we have seen."

The imposition of a new round of sanctions - asset freezes and travel bans - appears unlikely for now.

Notorious for their often slow handling of fast moving international events, EU nations have rallied in just over three weeks since the invasion began on Feb. 24 to slap sanctions on 877 people. They include Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior ministers and pro-Kremlin oligarchs.

A further 62 "entities" - companies, banks, airlines and ship builders - have also been hit in near record time. But the issue of imposing restrictive measures on energy remains extremely sensitive, given the dependence of many EU countries on supplies of Russia natural gas.

A group of countries led by Germany wants a pause on new measures for now, amid concern about high energy prices and fears that Russia might halt gas exports to Europe. Some also want to save sanction ammunition for any new and major war atrocity, like the use of chemical weapons.

"We are doing everything to close loopholes in the sanctions" that have already been agreed, Baerbock said.

But Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, whose country borders Russia and Belarus, warned against "sanctions fatigue."

"We cannot get tired, imposing sanctions. We cannot get tired, offering assistance and help to Ukraine," he said.

He said the EU must start thinking about what kind of attack by Russia would constitute a "red line" for tougher measures. The shelling of cities and civilians, he said, doesn't appear to be enough to persuade some member countries "but somewhere there, there has to be one."

Landsbergis also said that Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia need their defenses bolstered by partner countries.

"I think we need to see more equipment, and first of all the actual defense plans (for) the Baltic countries that would reflect the changed strategic reality of the region," he told reporters

SOURCE

Cc; Lalasticlacla, Mynd44

Some also want to save sanction ammunition for any new and major war atrocity, like the use of chemical weapons.

This is the funniest piece in this article
People are claiming Russian troops are leveling Ukrainian cities to the ground with artillery and missile firepower and are calling for the EU to slap another round of sanctions on Russia. The EU is indirectly telling them now say sanctions dey finish and they are saving sanction AMMUNITIONS for when russia uses chemical weapons and other extremely deadly weapons
The reality is that the ammunition go still finish whether they preserve it for now or not.
Sanctions is currently the only weapons that these guys have in their arsenal that can be used against russia. If them use am finish say the ammunition finish and Russia survive........... Hmm make I rest there

The "courts will have to decide, but for me these are clearly war crimes," Baerbock said

which court will have the audacity to persecute Russian for committing war crimes? Abeg someone should educate me

but Russia, like the United States, doesn't recognize the tribunal´s jurisdiction.

The United States have placed themselves above all laws.


This is why they committed war crimes in hundreds of countries and got away with them without answering to anyone.

Russians will do the same and nothing go happen. For those calling for the ICC to charge Putin for war crimes. Biden, the commander in chief of the world sheriff, AKA the United States has judge putin already and called him a war criminal in public. Now what do you do with a criminal? No be to arrest am and lock am for jail.
Now make una stop to dey wail and instead pressure Biden to give the warrant for American troops to go into Russia, drag putin out of the Kremlin and take him to US jails.
No be so them dey do criminals?

Hypocrites EU. When US committed war crimes in Iraq they all went mute. Because it is Putin,they suddenly found their voice.

Stop attacking Russian Forces from civillian settlement,they have no other option that to launch offensive.

I just dey laugh,even if Putin commits war crime,who will arrest him, conquered NATO?

Do we have a Prophet in the house?

Abeg, when this invasion go end

No more sanctions

Pierocash:
Hypocrites EU. When US committed war crimes in Iraq they all went mute. Because it is Putin,they suddenly found their voice.

Stop attacking Russian Forces from civillian settlement,they have no other option that to launch offensive.

I just dey laugh,even if Putin commits war crime,who will arrest him, conquered NATO?

Not just Iraq. See let me tell you, the USA don't give a f**k about human lives. They believe an American is worth 10 times more than non Americans most exoecially Africans and middleeaaterners.
Read this article from Washington post . If you run into a paywall then Try here The guys name is Daniel Hale. He went to prison for leaking that 90% of the people hit by US drone strikes were civilians
The US has a theater where they make it look like they want to avoid civilian casualties in their wars, but all na lie.

Please go and read the Declassified Document here
Take your time to read it.
Even barrack Obama publicly slammed the guy for leaking the information to the public. You can go and watch the video on YouTube.

The USA is the biggest perpetrator of war crimes in the world.

Ps: does anyone remember when USA killed some Afghanistan in retaliation to the Kabul airport blast and claimed they successfully eliminated the terrorists hebind the attack?
When the truth got to the public that they were actually civilians, since as it was already obvious to the public, the Pentagon now acknowledged that the said "terrorists" were actually afghan civilians going about their normal lives.
The matter ended there. They didn't apologize or answer to anyone. Everybody just move on. Nobody make pim

Where are the false prophets crying sign of the end times?

I wan check something.