BRUSSELS Feb 3 The EU and Ukraine will continue to work on » mechanism to prosecute Russia for the crime of aggression,» the final statement after the EU-Ukraine summit said.
«We underscored our support for the investigation by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Russia, as well as all those involved, will be held accountable. We agreed to continue working together to ensure full accountability, including by creating an appropriate mechanism for the crime of aggression, prosecution which is of interest to the entire international community,» the document states.
The statement notes that «Ukraine prefers the creation of a special tribunal.»
On Thursday, following a meeting of the European Commission and the government of Ukraine, it was announced the establishment in The Hague of «an international center to investigate the crime of aggression in Ukraine.» The center's task is to coordinate steps to «investigate the crime of aggression against Ukraine.»
Earlier, the EU repeatedly spoke in favor of creating a so-called international «special tribunal» for Ukraine.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said that the European Union is trying to cover up its involvement in war crimes in Ukraine by initiating the creation of a special tribunal. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov pointed out that Russia categorically rejects Kyiv's accusations of war crimes on the territory of Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the idea of creating an international court for Ukraine a «cabal» and said that it would not have jurisdiction over Russia.
Russia has been conducting a military special operation in Ukraine since February 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin called it the task of «protecting people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» According to the president, the ultimate goal of the operation is the liberation of Donbass and the creation of conditions that guarantee Russia's security.
Earlier, Putin said that the West was trying to create an anti-Russian enclave in Ukraine for the collapse of Russia, and a special operation was launched to prevent this. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, «including not only the supply of weapons, but also the training of personnel … on the territory of Great Britain, Germany, Italy and other countries.»
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