Russia accuses Kamala Harris of 'unfriendly rhetoric' – here's what she actually said

As U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris moved closer to securing the Democratic Party nomination, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov made clear that Russia was paying attention.

"So far, her contribution to our bilateral relations has not been noticed," said Peskov, only to later notice the vice president's "unfriendly" remarks.

"There were statements that were replete with rhetoric quite unfriendly towards our country," he said.

While Peskov didn't specify exactly which comments from Harris he was referring to, she has been outspoken over Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on several occasions.

'Gruesome and cruel'

In February 2023, Harris described Russia as "horrendous," "gruesome," and "cruel," while announcing that the U.S. had determined that the Kremlin had committed war crimes in Ukraine.

"In the case of Russia's actions in Ukraine, we have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt: These are crimes against humanity," she said.

"First, from the starting days of this unprovoked war, we have witnessed Russian forces engage in horrendous atrocities and war crimes."

Harris then went on to list the acts committed by Russia, all of which are backed up by extensive evidence.

"Russian forces have pursued a widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population – gruesome acts of murder, torture, rape, and deportation. Execution-style killings, beating and electrocution," she said.

"Russian authorities have forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of people from Ukraine to Russia, including children. They have cruelly separated children from their families."

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for several Russians, most notably President Vladimir Putin himself last year, for the forced deportations of more than 19,000 Ukrainian children to Russia.

More recently, the (ICC) announced on June 25 that it had issued arrest warrants for Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia's Security Council, and General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, for war crimes against Ukraine.

'Unprovoked'

A day after the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Harris, in a post on social media, described it as "unprovoked" and "unjustified."

While Russia initially claimed the invasion was launched to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine, and was provoked by "NATO expansion" as the war dragged on, even Putin has admitted otherwise.

In a speech in June 2022, he said it was an imperial war to "return" Ukraine, which he described as Russian land.

'A failure'

In February of this year, Harris described the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as an "utter failure."

By the Kremlin's own standards this is an accurate assessment. Just days after the invasion began, Russian state media accidentally revealed Putin's goals and expected timeframe of victory.

In an article that was quickly deleted, several news agencies lauded Putin for Russia's swift victory, solving "the Ukraine problem," and declaring that "Ukraine has returned to Russia."

'Brutal'

Just last month, Harris described Russian aggression against Ukraine as "brutal."

In the 17 months since she described it as "gruesome" and "cruel," Russia's actions in Ukraine have only continued, and more and more cases of brutal behavior have occurred.

A non-exhaustive list of alleged war crimes include the beheading of Ukrainian POWs, using civilians as human shields, multiple incidences of targeting rescue workers with double-tap strikes, murdering teenagers, continued and escalating aerial attacks on civilian infrastructure, and the bombing of children's hospitals.

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