(Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Joe Biden said Russian leader Vladimir Putin could face a war crimes trial and vowed Washington would impose additional sanctions against Russia, as he condemned alleged atrocities committed against civilians in Ukraine.
“He is a war criminal,” Biden said of Putin while speaking to reporters upon returning to Washington from a long weekend in Delaware. “This guy is brutal, and what's happening in Bucha is outrageous, and everyone's seen it.”
The U.S. president added that “we have to gather all the details” in order to “actually have a war crimes trial,” in his first public remarks since pictures emerged of dead civilians in mass graves and in the streets of towns, including the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, liberated by Ukrainian forces.
“Yes, I'm going to continue to add sanctions,” Biden said, without specifying what the penalties would be.
The world has reacted with horror and outrage at the large numbers of civilian casualties in towns surrounding Kyiv that were among the first targets of invading Russian forces. Biden's comments suggest the fresh revelations of atrocities could spark a new phase in the international response as the war nears the six-week mark.
Russia denied responsibility, with the country's Defense Ministry calling the pictures of the dead in towns newly liberated by Ukrainian forces “provocation” by Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday said Russia “categorically denies” allegations its forces killed civilians in Bucha.
Biden did not confirm reports that his administration is transferring Soviet-era tanks from Eastern European allies to Ukrainian forces in the Donbas area. He pledged, however, that the U.S. would “continue to provide Ukraine with weapons they need to continue the fight.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday renewed charges that Russia is committing genocide during a visit to Bucha.
“Those were war crimes and the world will recognize it as genocide,” he said. Biden declined Monday to agree with the characterization of the situation as “genocide.”
Read more: Horrors of Bucha Push Europe Toward New Sanctions on Russia
Biden has repeatedly labeled Putin a war criminal, starting on March 16 after news emerged that a theater sheltering hundreds of civilians in the Ukrainian city Mariupol had been leveled by Russian munitions. At the end of a March 26 speech in Warsaw, Biden -- in an unscripted aside -- said Putin “cannot remain in power.” The White House later said Biden wasn't calling for regime change.
European Union officials said they're preparing additional sanctions to penalize Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron called for “very clear measures” and said the penalties would be discussed over the next few days.
Germany announced Monday it would expel 40 staff members of the Russian embassy in Berlin with suspected links to Russian spy agencies as a first response to the alleged killing of civilians. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement that images of the victims show “the unbelievable brutality of the Russian leadership” and those who follow its propaganda.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the scenes discovered in Bucha “a punch in the gut” and called for “accountability” for those responsible for any war crimes. Blinken is scheduled to travel to Brussels this week to meet with European allies.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon, in his annual letter to shareholders Monday, said the U.S. should ratchet up penalties on Russia “in whatever way national security experts recommend to maximize the right outcomes,” even as he predicted the war and resulting sanctions “will slow the global economy.”
Rea more: Dimon Calls for More Sanctions on Russia, Expresses Pity for Fed
Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, on Sunday urged the International Criminal Court to visit liberated cities and villages near Kyiv to collect evidence of Russian war crimes after bodies of civilians who'd had their hands tied behind their backs were found in Bucha.
What Are War Crimes? Could Putin Face Prosecution?: QuickTake
The International Criminal Court has opened an investigation into whether Russian forces have committed war crimes, which include willful killing, torture, rape, forced prostitution, corporal punishment, hostage taking, unlawful deportation, using starvation as a weapon and shooting combatants who've surrendered, among many other acts.
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