EU ministers reaffirm support for Ukraine and call for holding russia accountable for war crimes - statement
Kyiv • UNN
EU foreign ministers condemned russia's war against Ukraine and called for russia and its leadership to be held accountable for waging an aggressive war and serious crimes under international law.
This is stated in the statement of the Committee of Ministers of the European Union, made on the occasion of the beginning of russia's full-scale aggressive war against Ukraine, UNN reports.
Details
The EU Foreign Ministers who are members of the Committee of Ministers issued a statement in which they emphasized their continued support for Ukraine and called for russia and members of the russian regime to be held accountable for war crimes. The following countries also joined the statement: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Liechtenstein, the Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino, Ukraine, and Georgia.
The statement emphasizes that the EU condemns russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and the Belarusian regime's participation in this war.
We call on russia to immediately cease its aggression, withdraw all its military forces and equipment from all territory of Ukraine, release illegally detained civilians and prisoners of war, and return all persons, including children, who have been forcibly displaced or illegally deported. We reaffirm our strong support for Ukraine's sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The European Union will stand by Ukraine with unwavering support for as long as it takes
At the same time, the ministers recall that the russian invasion began 10 years ago with the illegal annexation of Crimea. It is noted that the EU does not and will never recognize this annexation.
The statement says that the EU will continue to work to ensure broad international support for a just and lasting peace and the key principles and goals of the Ukrainian Peace Formula, with a view to hosting the upcoming Global Peace Summit.
russia and its leadership must be held fully accountable for waging an aggressive war against Ukraine and other most serious crimes under international law, as well as for the enormous damage caused by the war. We encourage efforts to establish a tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine that enjoys the broadest possible cross-regional support and legitimacy, as well as a future reparations mechanism
They expressed their support for the initiative to establish a Register of Damages and look forward to filing claims at the upcoming Ministerial Conference "Restoring Justice for Ukraine" in The Hague on April 2, 2024.
