Special tribunal needed for Russian crimes in Ukraine, says EU chief

The idea reflects frustration at the difficulty of holding anyone accountable for the war, and it will likely be very difficult to get trials before a new tribunal.

The senior European Union official on Wednesday proposed the establishment of a United Nations-backed tribunal to investigate and prosecute possible Russian crimes in the war in Ukraine, reflecting growing calls for Kyiv and the West to hold Moscow accountable for atrocities committed since its invasion.

The idea, which is expected to overcome significant hurdles procedural to become reality, underscores the growing frustration of Ukrainians and their supporters that the international justice system is not equipped to prosecute senior Russian officials for the invasion, even though independent investigators have documented evidence of possible war crimes , including the killing and torture of civilians.

"We are ready to begin working with the international community to gain the widest possible international support for this specialized court,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, said in a statement. proposing the new court on Wednesday.

Whatever the doubts about whether the proposal will materialize, Ukrainian officials hailed it as a milestone. "That's exactly what we've been suggesting for a long time," said Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president's office. “Russia will pay for crimes and destruction. They will not avoid it. »

A similar tribunal already exists, the International Criminal Court in The Hague, but its authority is generally limited to the 123 countries that have signed the treaty that created it. This list does not include Russia or Ukraine - or the United States - although Ukraine granted the court jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

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The call for a new tribunal to deal with the conduct of the war reflects efforts by Western donors to Kyiv to step up their support, despite the growing direct costs of aid and damage to the global economy, and no prospect of ending the fighting anytime soon.

ImageA power outage in Kyiv on Wednesday. Credit...Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Western nations set up an official group this week to help fix Ukraine's devastated power grid, which the Russians have targeted with hundreds of missiles, drones and artillery strikes in an attempt to condemn Ukrainians to live without electricity, heating or running water during the deadly cold winter. The United States said on Tuesday it was donating $53 million worth of equipment to help repair Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and officials said they hoped the announcement would spur other countries to grant similar assistance.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said Wednesday that the United States must continue to supply Ukraine with weapons, especially air defense systems to protect the country from the continuous barrage. Some Republican members of Congress have strongly questioned that spending - more than $19 billion from the United States and a similar amount from other NATO countries since the war began in February - and their party will take control of the House in January.