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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday redoubled his call for an independent tribunal to investigate and prosecute Russian war crimes, using a speech in The Hague to demand accountability and call for Nazi trials at Nuremberg after World War II.
“Impunity is the key that opens the door to aggression,” Mr Zelensky said in his 15-minute remarks, delivered in English. “If you look at any war, any war of aggression in history, they all have one thing in common: The perpetrators of the war don’t believe they have to respond to what they’re doing..“
Although the speech – in the city where the International Criminal Court is located and is a symbol of international law and justice – was not the first time Mr Zelensky invoked the court, it was a sign of international support for the initiative. grow up Ukraine’s allies, including the United States and other leaders of the Group of 7 countries, have reaffirmed their support for at least exploring the court.
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Zelensky visited the ICC, which was established in 2002 to deal with war crimes cases. In March, a court issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir V. Putin and other Russian officials on war crimes charges, holding the Russian president criminally responsible for the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children.
“We all want to see a different Vladimir in The Hague,” Mr Zelensky said in a speech, referring to Mr Putin, drawing laughter.
The requested special court will run parallel to the ICC’s case against Mr Putin and others. The crime of aggression, the legal doctrine that most directly holds Russian leaders to invade Ukraine, cannot be brought against Russia by the ICC because it lacks jurisdiction.
First recognized as an international crime at the famous Nuremberg Trials of the Nazis, the crime of aggression was defined as being committed by a leader – “a person in a position to effectively control or direct the political or military actions of a state” – by participating in “the use of armed forces by a state against its sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of other countries” in violation of the Charter of the United Nations.
Zelensky said that “true justice” can only be achieved if leaders “make bold decisions that will correct the shortcomings of the norms that unfortunately exist in international law.”
Adding to the symbolism of the speech, Mr. Zelensky, who carefully prepared his speech for a foreign audience, spoke on a date when the Dutch nation remembers the victims of war. And he cited the 2014 crash of a Malaysia Airlines jet over eastern Ukraine, where 298 people, mostly Dutch, died. Last year, a Dutch court found that an anti-aircraft missile system supplied to Russian-backed separatist forces brought down the plane, convicting three people with ties to Russian security services and sentencing them to life in prison.
Mr. Zelensky’s visit to the Netherlands – where he also met Willem-Alexander, the Dutch king, and spoke to parliamentarians and the prime ministers of the Netherlands and Belgium – was not previously reported. Explained in the middle of the demonstration by the Ukrainian leaders of European countries that have contributed to the defense of the nation; who visited Finland on Wednesday, and next week, he is scheduled to make a two-day trip to Germany.
During a press conference with Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and Alexander De Croo of Belgium, Mr Zelensky asked for additional weapons and asked Ukrainian pilots to immediately begin training on Western-made F-16 fighter jets in anticipation of the final delivery. .
After sending Western-made battle tanks to Ukraine this year, the fighter jets are one of the last major weapons systems Western allies have not wanted, citing concerns about the escalation of the conflict and the vital training Ukrainian pilots need to fly them effectively. war.
Mr Rutte noted that there was strong support in the Dutch Parliament to send the aircraft as part of a consortium of Western donor countries. “In the F-16, there is no taboo,” he said.
Mr. Zelensky also discussed the expected counterattack by Ukraine. “We are doing our best,” he said, adding: “Not only the military, but also society, factories, businessmen – everyone is thinking about how to strengthen the army every day.”
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Thursday that the Dutch government was ready to host a trial for Russian war crimes, saying: “We will do everything in our power to ensure that Russia is held to account.”
In his speech, Mr. Zelensky said that in April alone, Ukrainian prosecutors counted 6,139 Russian war crimes, including the deaths of 207 people, including 11 children. The Kremlin has denied allegations of war crimes, but international and Ukrainian investigators have gathered strong evidence of various atrocities since the start of the invasion.
Claire Moses contribute reports.
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