Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and France's ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy to travel to Bucha, a town affected by alleged atrocities.
"I invite Ms. Merkel and Mr. Sarkozy to visit Bucha and see what the policy of concessions towards Russia has led to," he said in a video address on Sunday.
In 2008, the NATO states rejected Ukraine's admission to the military alliance because of the "absurd fear of some politicians" of Russia, Zelensky said.
They believed "that by rejecting Ukraine, they could placate Russia."
"We blame no one but Russia's military"
Because of this "miscalculation," Ukraine has experienced a revolution, eight years of war in eastern Ukraine's Donbass, and now "the worst war in Europe since World War II."
But "we don't blame the West," added the President.
"We don't blame anyone except the Russian military and those who gave them orders."
The Russian army recently withdrew from the Kyiv region.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, hundreds of civilian bodies were then found in the suburb of Bucha.
The pictures and videos from the place sparked international horror.
Moscow has denied the killing of civilians by Russian soldiers in Bucha.
Zelenskyy accused the Moscow government of “genocide” and accused Russian soldiers of massive atrocities: “Why were ordinary civilians tortured to death in a peaceful city?
Why were women strangled after having their earrings ripped off?
How could they rape and kill women in front of the children?
Mocking their bodies even after they die?
Why did they run over people's bodies with tanks?
What has Boucha done to your Russia?"
The Ukrainian President announced a "special judicial mechanism" to investigate and prosecute Russian "crimes" in Ukraine.
Accordingly, “national and international experts, investigators, prosecutors and judges” should be involved.
"Anyone guilty of such crimes" will be "found and punished," Zelenskyj said.