Humeyra Pauk and Daphne Psaledakis

WASHINGTON (Reuters), – While the United States did not promise to conduct its own inquiry into Russia’s genocide, but it stated that it supports international efforts in order to hold Russia accountable.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden stated for the first-time that Russia’s invasion in Ukraine amounts to genocide. This is a major escalation in his rhetoric.

Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department on Wednesday refused to comment whether Biden’s remarks reflected the U.S. government’s overall position but stated that the President “was speaking to his impression from seeing the horrendous footage from Ukraine.”

Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, stated that the Biden Administration would continue to evaluate whether it should launch its formal review.

Price stated that the United States supports international lawyers seeking to establish whether legal thresholds have been met. However, Price did not specify whether it would initiate its own investigation.

Price claimed that what Price is doing “is the most efficient means to reach that ultimate goal, accountability”.

This determination by the State Department follows normal internal processes, however, it is ultimately up to the secretary-of-state who decides if the decision will advance American interests. Officials stated that.

Genocide is the worst international crime. It was used first to describe the Nazi Holocaust. It was first defined as an international crime in 1948 by United Nations Convention.

Russia invaded Ukraine, killing thousands of people and leaving behind millions.

Moscow refers to its actions as “special operation” in order to degrade Ukraine’s military and capture dangerous nationalists. But, the West and Ukraine claim Russia has launched an unprovoked conflict of aggression.

The Kremlin declared Wednesday that it strongly disagreed with Biden’s description of Russia’s actions against Ukraine as “genocide”, and charged Washington with hypocrisy.