Foreign Affairs Committee to examine Putin’s ‘atrocities’ in hearing next week
Ryan King
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Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee will delve into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s alleged war crimes in Ukraine in a hearing next week.
The panel will discuss the matter with survivors of the brutal conflict and then hold a hearing on April 19 titled “Exposing Putin’s Crimes: Evidence of Russian War Crimes and Other Atrocities in Ukraine,” according to an announcement.
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During the public hearing, the panel will hear from Andriy Kostin, the prosecutor general of Ukraine. It will also hear from two unnamed survivors whose names are kept confidential for security reasons.
Last month, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin, laying out a bevy of war crime allegations of Russia abducting children from Ukraine. Russia has rejected those claims and warned countries against carrying out that warrant. Moscow has also emphasized that it is not part of the ICC.
Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) has asserted that Putin is “100% a war criminal.” Last month, he also introduced legislation to bolster the United States’s efforts to document evidence that could be used to prosecute Putin.
“It is vital that the U.S. and the free world build a case against Russia for their atrocities and work to deter them from committing future war crimes. We owe the brave Ukrainian people this commitment,” McCaul said at the time.
Last month the panel convened a hearing to assess the aid sent to Ukraine. Since the outbreak of the conflict, Congress has approved over $100 billion in both humanitarian and military aid.
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Congress has been on a two-week recess and is set to reconvene next week.
A subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia will hold a hearing on April 18 to explore policy on Syria and review President Bashar Assad’s alleged war crimes.