Harris: 'Any intentional attack or targeting of civilians is a war crime'

Vice President Harris on Friday said that intentional attacks against civilians are considered a war crime during a trip to Romania amid Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.

"We have been clear that any intentional attack or targeting of civilians is a war crime. Period," she said when asked if Russia's actions in Ukraine constitute war crimes.

The vice president on Thursday, while in Poland, voiced support for a war crimes investigation into Russia over its strikes on civilian areas. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there is a legal review process to make considerations before labeling an action as a war crime when asked about Harris expressing for support for an investigation.

"That is the ongoing process that is - we're pursuing at this point in time. It's ongoing," Psaki said. "Obviously, if Russia is intentionally targeting civilians, that would be a war crime. But we need to go through the legal assessment and review in order to make a formal conclusion."

Harris's comments also echo U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who on Sunday said that "any attack on civilians is a war crime."

On Friday, Harris condemned the fact that millions of refugees have fled Ukraine and condemned the strike on a maternity hospital in the city of Mariupol earlier this week.

"By the millions now are having to flee with nothing but a backpack and then you compound that with what happened a couple of days - in terms of the maternity hospital, pregnant women. We have the unfortunate experience, all of us right now who are not in Ukraine, of witnessing horror," she said.

Harris reiterated Biden's remarks at the State of the Union last week that there is a price to pay for democracy at home, amid record-high gas prices in the U.S. that the White House has blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for.

"We are committed in everything we are doing," Harris said. "You got to stand with your friends and as everybody knows even in your personal life, being loyal to those friendships based on common principles and values, sometimes it's difficult. Often it ain't easy, but that's what the friendship is about, based on shared values. So that's what we're doing."

Harris commended the Romanians for taking in Ukrainian refugees, while speaking alongside Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

"You have been welcoming tens of thousands of refugees and doing it with such compassion and such grace," she said.

Iohannis reaffirmed the coordination between the United States, Romania, and other European allies when asked about the sanction packages applied against Russia so far.

"The sanction packages have been discussed between the United States and the European Union. We worked very well together on this and we will continue to work together on this," he said. "If new sanctions will be necessary, they will be discussed and applied."

NATO: Russia is launching many air operations from Belarus

NATO on Thursday told CNN aboard a surveillance plane that Russia is launching many of their air operations against Ukraine from Belarus.

CNN joined NATO on its Airborne Warning and Control System (AWCS) plane that is used on the Ukrainian-Poland border to collect intelligence. The Russians know the planes are there and try to jam their radar, NATO's technical director told CNN.

NATO mission's technical director told the outlet the "vast majority" of Russian jets have been found coming to Ukraine from Belarus, a neighboring country and ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A U.S. defense official said this week Russia is launching air operations from Belarus, the Black Sea, Russia and Ukraine.

The NATO members on the plane say it is hard to tell if Belarus has any of its own troops participating in the war as Russia, Belarus and Ukraine all use similar fighter jets.

NATO tactical director Denis Guillaume said Thursday that a dozen Russian jets were idling in Belarus. When asked by CNN if NATO is sharing this intelligence with Ukraine, he declined to answer.

"I cannot answer that question," Guillaume said. The technical director told the outlet, "The only thing I can tell you right now is that we, as NATO allies, are sharing the data with NATO countries."

However, the technical director said the NATO countries can do with the intelligence what they want. Although it isn't clear what information the U.S. is sending Ukraine, it is known the country has been sharing intelligence to help Ukraine's fight against Russia.

NATO countries have begun sanctioning Belarus' banks and other individuals due to them letting Russia use their country in its invasion of Ukraine. Before the invasion, Belarus let Russia build up thousands of troops on its borders to eventually go into Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials have called for a no-fly zone in Ukraine to counter Russia's air operations, but the request has been denied by NATO.