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Bucha, Ukraine PHOTO: Reuters
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Canada summoned Russia’s ambassador to the country to show him photos of Bucha. At the same time, the country has petitioned the International Criminal Court to speed up the investigation of war crimes, AFP and BGNES reported.
Ahead of the NATO summit in Brussels, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie announced that she had instructed her deputy to summon the Russian ambassador to Ottawa to make sure he was presented with photos of what happened in Bucha.
Ukrainian authorities have found hundreds of tortured and killed civilians in areas liberated by Russian troops, and images of bodies on the streets have sparked worldwide outrage. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the killings as “war crimes” and “genocide”.
The Kremlin has denied accusations of mass murder and said the images of Bucha were fake.
Jolie also said that additional sanctions will be imposed on Russia, which, together with the weapons sent to Ukraine, will strengthen Ukraine’s position in negotiations with Russia. “Our goal is to stifle the Russian regime,” the foreign minister said.
Ottawa has sent investigators from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to the International Criminal Court to help gather evidence of alleged Russian war crimes.
Meanwhile, as EU countries expel more than 200 Russian diplomats and officials, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reluctant to follow suit.
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