American journalist killed in Ukraine
An American journalist has been killed in Ukraine, The New York Times confirmed Sunday.
Brent Renaud, a photographer and filmmaker, had worked as a contributor for the newspaper but was not on assignment for The Times when he was killed, according to a statement from the news outlet.
![PHOTO: PHOTO Brent Renaud attends the Peabody Awards in New York, May 31, 2015.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/american-journalist-killed-brent-renaud-ukraine-russia-01-ap-llr-220313_1647193190221_hpEmbed_3x2_992.jpg)
"We are saddened to hear of Brent Renaud's death. Brent was a talented filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years," the newspaper said in its statement posted on Twitter. "Though he had contributed to The Times in the past (most recently in 2015), he was not on assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine. Early reports that he worked for (The) Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago."
Kyiv's police chief later confirmed Renaud's death in a Facebook post.
A State Department spokesperson also confirmed Renaud's death.
"We offer our sincerest condolences to his family on their loss and offering all possible consular assistance," the State Department spokesperson said.
Time magazine editor in chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal said Renaud had been working in recent weeks on a Time Studios project focused on the global refugee crisis.
"We are devastated by the loss of Brent Renaud. As an award-winning filmmaker and journalist, Brent tackled the toughest stories around the world often alongside his brother Craig Renaud," Felsenthal said in a joint statement with Ian Orefice, president and COO of Time and Time Studios.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS News that he had just learned of Renaud's death Sunday morning and described it as "obviously shocking and horrifying."
"I will be consulting with my colleagues. We’ll be consulting with the Ukrainians to determine how this happened and then to measure and execute appropriate consequences as a result of it," Sullivan said. "I will just say that this is part and parcel of what has been a brazen aggression on the part of the Russians where they have targeted civilians, they have targeted hospitals, they have targeted places of worship and they have targeted journalists."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday and both leaders condemned the killing of Renaud, according to a read out of the call released by Johnson's office.
-ABC News' Matt Foster