The United States will call for Russia's removal from the U.N. Human Rights Council, the American ambassador to the United Nations said Monday.
While in Bucharest Monday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Twitter that she will call for the required vote to suspend Russia from the body, amid continued assertions that Russian President Vladimir Putin has committed war crimes in his invasion of Ukraine.
"In close coordination with Ukraine and other Member States and partners at the UN, the United States is going to seek Russia's suspension from the UN Human Rights Council," Thomas-Greenfield wrote.
"140 @UN Member States have already voted to condemn Russia over its unprovoked war and the humanitarian crisis it has unleashed."
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called images of Ukrainian civilians alleged to have been executed in the city of Bucha a "punch to the gut."
"Since the aggression, we've come out and said that we believe that Russian forces have committed war crimes," Blinken said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident a case of "genocide."
Thomas-Greenfield mentioned Bucha on Monday, as part of her reason for calling for Russia's removal from the Human Rights Council.
"My message to those 140 countries: the images out of Bucha and devastation across Ukraine require us to now match our words with action. We cannot let a Member State that is subverting every principle we hold dear continue to participate in the @UN_HRC," she wrote on Twitter.
"Russia should not have a position of authority in that body, nor should we allow Russia to use its seat on the Council as a tool of propaganda to suggest they have a legitimate concern about human rights."
The UN Human Rights Council is made up of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe and has the ability to discuss all human rights issues and situations that require its attention throughout the year.
Removing Russia from the council would require support from a minimum of two-thirds of the UN General Assembly, which is made up of 193 members.
Russia is currently in the second year of its three-year term on the council.
