Putin’s spokesman responds to VP Harris’ remarks

Kremlin spokesman Dimtry Peskov has responded to comments made by Kamala Harris during a conference in Munich that Russia has committed crimes against humanity.

“Russian forces have pursued a widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population — gruesome acts of murder, torture, rape and deportation,” Harris said during her speech in Munich, citing “execution-style killings, beatings and electrocution.”

Peskov said that the United States was the “primary source” for international tensions due to their support of Ukrainian attacks on Crimea.

“There is no readiness or openness to peaceful initiatives on the part of the collective West,” Peskov was quoted as saying by state news agency Tass, which reported that Peskov’s comments were made on “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin” TV program on the Rossiya 1 TV channel.

During the same interview Peskov was asked about remarks made by American Diplomat Victoria Nuland who said on Thursday that the United States believes Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, should be “at a minimum” be demilitarized.

Nuland said that Washington supported Ukrainian strikes on military installations on the peninsula, referring to them as “legitimate targets.”

Peskov said her comments emphasized “the depth of our differences,” and “probably also stresses the role of the United States as the primary source of present international conflicts.”