US envoy to NATO says alliance gathering evidence to hold Putin accountable for 'war crimes' in Ukraine

US Permanent Representative to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Julianne Smith on Tuesday said that the military alliance is gathering evidence to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin accountable for "war crime" in Ukraine, according to a media report.

"What we have to do is collect the information we need to hold Putin and his team in Moscow accountable, and you can do that through multiple paths there of course is the ICC path. There's a United Nations option. There are multiple ways to do that," CNN quoted Smith as saying during a press conference in Brussels.

Speaking on how the US will help with this investigation, the US envoy said, "First and foremost, what we want to do is ensure that we expose the truth and in order to expose the truth and fully understand what is happening on the ground we need to collect as much information as possible."

"We are now relying on first-hand accounts from Ukrainian citizens. We are seeing some international organizations, NGOs are starting to collect information as well. Putting together a narrative, trying to put together some sense of what has gone on, as we've looked again at these horrific images coming out of Bucha, but, but possibly in other locations as well," she added, according to the media outlet.

Though noting that it is "too soon to say definitively what happened" in Bucha, she said, "we're quite confident that we will be able to put together the evidence we need to hold Putin accountable."

Notably, US President Joe Biden on Monday called the atrocities allegedly committed by Russia in Bucha, Ukraine, a "war crime" adding that Putin is a "war criminal".

Biden said Bucha atrocities is not a genocide, adding that he is looking into more sanctions on Russia.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of NATO member states will discuss additional assistance to Ukraine at a meeting on April 6-7, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

( With inputs from ANI )

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