- February 8, 2025
- 1:02 pm
- World News
Why does Ukraine count on the ICC’s work despite the US position?
The issue of bringing Russian war criminals to justice remains one of Ukraine’s key priorities. Despite the sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump against the International Criminal Court (ICC), Kyiv is confident that investigations into Russian war crimes will continue.
According to the speaker of the MFA of Ukraine, Heorhiy Tykhy:
“We are convinced that the International Criminal Court will continue to perform important functions in the case of Ukraine, namely, bringing Russian criminals to justice.”
US sanctions against the ICC: why did Trump decide to punish the court?
On February 6, 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions against the ICC. This happened because the court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant.
The main provisions of the decree:
- The sanctions are imposed on individuals involved in investigations against US citizens and their allies (Israel).
- The financial assets and visas of these individuals are subject to the ban.
- The US considers the ICC decisions on Israel and its leaders “unfounded”.
The ICC, in turn, condemned this decision, stating that it will continue to work to ensure justice in the world.
“Ukrainian case”: why will US sanctions not affect the investigation of Russian crimes?
Although the US is imposing sanctions against the International Criminal Court, Ukraine does not see this as a threat to the investigation of Russian crimes.
Georgiy Tykhyy emphasized that “American decisions are not related to the Ukrainian context” and will not affect the prosecution of those guilty of war crimes.
“We are convinced that more arrest warrants are needed from the ICC in cases against Russian criminals, those who execute Ukrainian prisoners of war, deport children, commit war crimes and shell civilians.”
In fact, Kyiv continues to cooperate with the ICC, despite the political disagreements between the United States and the international court.
ICC and Ukraine: how is the work on holding Russia accountable going?
The International Criminal Court has already issued an arrest warrant for Putin and children’s ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova for the deportation of Ukrainian children. However, this is only the beginning.
For what crimes in Ukraine can Russia be held accountable?
Ukraine actively cooperates with the ICC to punish those guilty of war crimes. In particular, we are talking about:
- Executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war
- Forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia
- Mass murders of civilians
- Destruction of critical civilian infrastructure
- Use of torture and other forms of ill-treatment
The Ukrainian side emphasizes that work on collecting evidence and drawing up new arrest warrants continues.
What is the International Criminal Court and who has it prosecuted?
ICC is an international tribunal created in 2002 based on the Rome Statute. Its jurisdiction extends to genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression.
Key court decisions include:
- Sentencing former Liberian President Charles Taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity (50 years in prison)
- Arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for crimes against humanity and genocide
- Sentencing Congolese rebel leader Thomas Lubanga for using child soldiers
In 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. However, since Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute, extradition is only possible if he is detained abroad.
What is the future of the “Ukrainian case” in the ICC?
Kyiv emphasizes the importance of further work of the International Criminal Court and believes that it is necessary to expand the list of criminals who should be brought to justice.
“We are also convinced that more arrest warrants are needed in cases against Russian criminals – against those who execute Ukrainian prisoners of war, deport children, commit war crimes, and shell civilians in Ukraine,” Georgiy Tykhyi emphasized.
Against this background, it is important to monitor the development of investigations and the ICC decision. News of Israel and Ukraine regularly covers this process on the NAnovosti website.
