Evidence of war crimes in Ukraine, says British defence minister

James Heappey's comments echo those of US president Joe Biden, who called Vladimir Putin a war criminal'

• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates

Evidence gathered in Ukraine points towards war crimes being committed and the blame lies with Vladimir Putin, a British defence minister has said, echoing Joe Biden who called the Russian leader a war criminal".

Asked if the Russian president was indeed a war criminal, the defence minister, James Heappey, told Sky News: I've not pulled my punches when I've been on your show. I think the evidence that is being gathered points very much towards war crimes being committed and the culpability for war crimes sits absolutely with the leader of the Russian government, the man who decided to do all this in the first place.