Morawiecki: killing of civilians in Bucha must be treated as genocide

Ukraine has accused Russian forces of carrying out a "massacre" in Bucha and Western leaders reacted with outrage to images of bodies strewn across the streets of the town. Russia denies Ukraine's accusation.

"These bloody massacres committed by Russian soldiers deserve to be called by their name. This is genocide, and must be judged (as such) this crime scene must be judged as a place of genocide," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

"Anyone who allows another such tragedy to become a fact also bears joint responsibility. From this point on, I am calling on the leaders of the European Union to act decisively, to take such actions that will finally break Putin's war machine," he added.

Ukrainian authorities said they were investigating possible war crimes there, a description also used by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Morawiecki criticised Macron for repeated rounds of negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, comparing the latter to 20th century dictators who carried out genocides such as Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot.

"Clear, strong sanctions are needed. These (current) sanctions are not working. I have been speaking out about it for days and unfortunately I am right. These sanctions are not working. Strong sanctions are needed that will break Putin's war machine, otherwise more innocent people will die," Morawiecki underscored.

Images of the killings were also poised to overshadow peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, due to restart by video link on Monday.

Reuters could not independently verify the number of dead or who was responsible.

But its reporters in Bucha saw one man sprawled by the roadside, his hands tied behind his back and a bullet wound to his head. A mass grave at a church remained open, with hands and feet poking through red clay heaped on top.

Poland's foreign minister called on Sunday for the international community to help Ukraine investigate the actions of the Russian army in the region around Kyiv, as outrage grew over the discovery of dead bodies in the town of Bucha.

"The liberation of the Kyiv region reveals barbaric atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces," Zbigniew Rau, who is also chairman-in-office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for this year, said on Twitter.

"I urge @OSCE participating states and the international community to assist Ukraine in ensuring that these crimes are properly investigated."

Ukraine's foreign minister on Sunday accused Russian forces of carrying out a "massacre" in the town of Bucha, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described images of dead bodies there as "a punch in the gut".