The European Union will seek to create a United Nations-backed specialized court to investigate and try possible war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula Von said on Wednesday. Der Leyen.
“We are ready to start working with the international community and get as much international support as possible for this specialized court,” von Der Leyen said.
Ukraine has been pushing for the creation of a special court to try Russian political and military leaders it believes guilty of starting the war.
The Hague-based International Criminal Court has launched its own investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, although it has no jurisdiction to try crimes in Ukraine.
“As we support the International Criminal Court, we propose to create a specialized court, with the support of the United Nations, to investigate and try the Russian aggression against Ukraine,” added Von Der Leyen.
Russia denies attacking civilians in what it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
The G7 agreed on Tuesday to set up a coordination network to investigate war crimes as part of a plan to prosecute alleged crimes in Ukraine.