White House distances itself from US embassy war crimes tweet: State Department tells outposts to NOT share message calling for Putin to be investigated by the Hague for shelling Europe’s biggest nuclear power station
- The White House is distancing itself from a tweet sent out by the U.S. embassy in Kyiv calling the Russian attack on a nuclear power plant a ‘war crime’
- ‘It is a war crime to attack a nuclear power plant. Putin’s shelling of Europe’s largest nuclear plant takes his reign of terror one step further,’ the tweet said
- Afterward, the State Department sent out an urgent message to U.S. embassies in Europe telling them not to spread that message, CNN reported
- ‘All – do not /not retweet Embassy Kyiv’s tweet on shelling of the facility being a possible war crime…If you have retweeted it – un-retweet it,’ the message said
- On a war crimes question, press secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. had an ‘internal review that’s been ongoing’
- She then slammed the Russian for shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant calling it the ‘height of irresponsibility’
- Psaki added that the Russian government’s actions were ‘extremely reckless and dangerous’
The White House is distancing itself from a tweet sent out by the U.S. embassy in Kyiv calling Russian forces attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant a ‘war crime.’
‘It is a war crime to attack a nuclear power plant. Putin’s shelling of Europe’s largest nuclear plant takes his reign of terror one step further,’ the Twitter account for the American embassy in Ukraine’s capital said.
Afterward, the State Department sent out an urgent message to U.S. embassies in Europe telling them not to spread that message, CNN reported.
The White House is distancing itself from a tweet sent out by the U.S. embassy in Kyiv calling Russian forces attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant a ‘war crime’
![Russian shells hit the nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhya in Ukraine on Friday. Zaporizhzhya is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/04/18/54958583-10578639-image-a-49_1646418584550.jpg)
Russian shells hit the nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhya in Ukraine on Friday. Zaporizhzhya is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe
![White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there was an ongoing review on the question of whether Russian President Vladimir Putin was commiting war crimes with his assault on Ukraine, but called the shelling of a nuclear power plant 'the height of irresponsibility'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/03/04/20/54963997-10578639-image-a-53_1646426274240.jpg)
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there was an ongoing review on the question of whether Russian President Vladimir Putin was commiting war crimes with his assault on Ukraine, but called the shelling of a nuclear power plant ‘the height of irresponsibility’
‘All – do not /not retweet Embassy Kyiv’s tweet on shelling of the facility being a possible war crime…If you have retweeted it – un-retweet it,’ the message said.
At Friday’s press briefing, a reporter pointed to the U.S. embassy in Kyiv’s tweet and asked White House press secretary Jen Psaki if it was the U.S.’s position that Russian President Vladimir Putin had engaged in ‘war crimes.’
‘Well, we have an internal review that’s been ongoing, prior to last night, to collect evidence and data of the targeting of civilians, of the reported use of weapons of war on the ground in Ukraine. That’s an ongoing process,’ Psaki said. ‘We have not made conclusions. It’s a legal review in a process that goes through the administration.’
Psaki reiterated that the intentional targeting of civilians or civilian objects would be considered a war crime.
‘Regardless of the legality, this action was the height of irresponsibility,’ Psaki said. ‘The Kremlin was cease operations around nuclear infrastructure and we have, of course, remaining concerns.’
‘Obviously, the Russian government’s actions were extremely reckless and dangerous and they could have posed profound threats to the safety of civilians in the region and beyond,’ Psaki continued.
‘We do applaud the ability of Ukrainian operators to keep all six reactors in safe conditions while they were under attack. And to report, as they were able to, to the nuclear regulator,’ Psaki added.
The press secretary noted that Biden spoke Thursday night with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and to the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration.
Psaki said the U.S. government remains concerned that the Russian military appears to have taken control of the plant – the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
‘The best step for nuclear safety would be for Russia to immediately withdraw its forces around the facility,’ Psaki added.
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