Russian 'Horrific' Attack On Kyiv Children's Hospital Must Be Investigated By War Crimes Prosecutors, White House Says

The White House on Monday called Russian missile attack on Kyiv's Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital 'horrific, tragic, and senseless,' suggesting that it will "need to be looked at by those who are prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity," as a top Biden advisor put it, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"It needs to be seriously investigated, because this is precisely one of the actions that we’ve seen repeatedly throughout the course of this war," Ambassador Mike Carpenter, special assistant to the President and senior advisor for Europe at the National Security Council, told a briefing at the Washington Foreign Press Center, when responding to TURAN's questions.

"I expect that this particular strike also deserves to have scrutiny in that regard," Carpenter said.

Russia launched a daytime barrage of missiles against Kyiv and targeted the hospital, killing dozens, injuring at least 140, officials said.  

"It is a deliberate targeting of innocent civilians, is our judgment," State Department's Spokesperson Matthew Miller told a Monday briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.

President Biden, in a statement, said the attack was 'critical' that the world "continues to stand with Ukraine at this important moment and that we not ignore Russian aggression."

"This week, I will be welcoming President Zelenskyy and NATO leaders to Washington D.C., and I will be meeting with President Zelenskyy to make clear our support for Ukraine is unshakeable," he went on to add.  "Together with our allies, we will be announcing new measures to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses to help protect their cities and civilians from Russian strikes," Biden noted.

The Monday attack also came as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán voiced his support for China’s peace proposal during a surprise visit to Beijing. The Kremlin, which hoster Orbán last weekend, also celebrated his “very serious attempt to understand the essence of these disagreements.”

When asked by TURAN whether the White House thought Orbán's actions was an appeasement, Carpenter said, they didn't see the Prime Minister's visit to Moscow. as constructive.  "We don’t see this as advancing the peace process.  It certainly doesn’t help Ukraine," he added.