Biden addresses Bucha in-depth for 1st time, calling it 'major war crimes'
President Joe Biden on Wednesday spoke in-depth for the first time about the horrific images of civilian deaths in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.
![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/biden-nabtu-gty-ps-20406_1649264809675_hpMain.jpg)
"I'm sure you've seen the pictures from Bucha and just outside of Kyiv, bodies left in streets as Russian troops withdrew. Some shot ... with their hands tied behind their backs. Civilians executed in cold blood," Biden said at the North America's Building Trade Union legislative conference in Washington, D.C.
"Bodies dumped into mass graves… There is nothing less happening than major war crimes," he said.
![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/grave-bucha-rt-ps-220406_1649264343900_hpMain.jpg)
Biden called on responsible nations to “come together to hold these perpetrators accountable."
"The steps we're already taken are predicted to shrink Russia's gross domestic product by double-digits this year alone. Just in one year, our sanctions are likely to wipe out the last 15 years of Russia's economic gains and because we've cut Russia off from important technologies like semiconductors and encryption security and critical components of quantum technology that they need to compete in the 21st century. We're going to stifle Russia’s ability in its economy to grow for years to come," Biden said.
-ABC News' Molly Nagle