Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich peppered press secretary Jen Psaki with questions about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and reports that the Russian military had been using illegal ordnance over the course of the invasion thus far.
“There are reports of illegal cluster bombs and vacuum bombs being used by the Russians. If that’s true, what is the next step of this administration and is there a red line for how much violence will be tolerated against civilians — in this manner — that’s illegal and potentially a war crime?” Heinrich asked.
WATCH:
JACQUI TIME: "There are reports of illegal cluster bombs & vacuum bombs being used by the Russians. If that's true, what is the next step of this administration & is there a red line for how much violence will be tolerated…that's illegal &…a war crime?" pic.twitter.com/MacUKzvHhu
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 28, 2022
Psaki did not directly answer the question regarding whether or not there was a red line with regard to civilian casualties or the use of illegal bombs — although she did confirm she had seen the same reports.
“It would be — I don’t have any confirmation of that, we’ve seen the reports, if that were true, it would potentially be a war crime,” Psaki agreed. She went on to say that there were international bodies in place to determine what constituted a war crime and how other nations should proceed, adding that in this case, the United States would want to be a part of the decision-making process going forward.
Heinrich went on to ask Psaki about aid headed to Ukraine, asking why it did not include stinger missiles — which were specifically requested by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — and why it was going to take a few days to get where it was needed.
Psaki brushed off the first question, saying that she was “not going to get into specifics” regarding what was or was not included in the military aid packages en route to Ukraine.
.@JacquiHeinrich: "You mentioned that this next batch [of aid] is going to be coming in the next few days. Why so long? I mean, days doesn't sound like a long time to us, but…"
Psaki: "The package that we already announced continues to be delivered." pic.twitter.com/NWP5mB8Uhu
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 28, 2022
“You mentioned that this next batch [of aid] is going to be coming in the next few days. Why so long? I mean, days doesn’t sound like a long time to us, but…” Heinrich pressed.
“The package that we already announced continues to be delivered,” Psaki replied, adding that the timeline had been expedited in order to ensure the aid arrived where it was needed in a timely manner.
In addition to aid, Zelensky has requested help from the United States and other allies in creating and maintaining a “no-fly zone” over Ukrainian airspace — a move he said would allow Ukraine to repel Russian forces without as much bloodshed.
But as The Daily Wire reported, the Biden administration has ruled that out as too much of an escalation:
Psaki spoke with NBC White House correspondents Peter Alexander and Kristin Welker early on Monday, and she argued that American assistance in such an endeavor would amount to American military involvement — which President Joe Biden has already said is off the table — and as such, would be an undeniable escalation of hostilities between the United States and Russia.
“What that would require is implementation by the U.S. military. It would essentially mean the U.S. military would be shooting down planes, Russian planes. That is definitely escalatory. That would potentially put us in a place in a military conflict with Russia,” Psaki explained, adding, “That is not something the president wants to do.”