War in Ukraine: EU wants a special tribunal to consider “Russian crimes”

The EU will work to set up a special tribunal to deal with Russia’s “crimes” in Ukraine and wants to mobilize frozen Russian assets to rebuild the country, European Commission President Ursula von said on Wednesday. der Leyen.

“As we continue to support the International Criminal Court (ICC, based in The Hague), we propose the creation of a special tribunal, with the support of the United Nations, to investigate and prosecute Russia’s crimes against Ukraine,” she said in a video released. on Twitter.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for the creation of such a tribunal.

“We are ready to start working with the international community to secure the widest possible international support for this tribunal,” von der Leyen explained.

The Chairman of the Commission also wants Moscow to pay for the destruction of materials in Ukraine.

Russia must pay “for the havoc” it has caused

“Together with our partners, we will ensure that Russia pays for the damage it has caused using the frozen funds of the oligarchs and the assets of its central bank,” she said.

The EU has already blocked 300 billion euros in the reserves of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and froze 19 billion euros in assets owned by Russian oligarchs, she recalled.

“In the short term, we could create (…) a structure to manage and invest these funds. Then we use these funds for Ukraine,” said Ursula von der Leyen.

“After the lifting of sanctions, these funds should be used to ensure that Russia pays compensation for the damage caused to Ukraine. We will work on an international agreement with our partners to make this possible. And together we can find legitimate ways to achieve this,” she said.

Ukrainian damage is estimated at 600 billion euros

The head of the EU said that more than 20,000 Ukrainian civilians and more than 100,000 military personnel have been killed since the invasion of Ukraine began in February.

The damage done to Ukraine is estimated, according to her, at 600 billion euros. “Russia must pay for its terrible crimes,” Ursula von der Leyen insisted.

In September, the Czech Republic, which presides over the EU Council for half a year, already called for the creation of a special court after the discovery of hundreds of bodies buried under Izyum, a captured city. Russians in eastern Ukraine.

The Baltic states also called in September for the creation of such a tribunal.