EU countries, minus Hungary, vow to seek “full accountability” for war crimes in Ukraine. Declaration signed by Romania
The head of EU diplomacy and the foreign ministers of 26 of the 27 member states, including Romania, signed a statement on Tuesday reaffirming their “commitment to ensure full accountability for war crimes and other extremely serious crimes committed in connection with Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.”
The declaration was also signed by Ukraine.
From the EU, only Hungary is missing from the list of signatory states, which has consistently opposed supporting Ukraine and European sanctions packages against Russia, maintaining a close relationship with the Kremlin.
An investigation by VSquare and TheInsider shows that Budapest worked with Moscow to remove Russian oligarchs, companies and banks from the EU sanctions list.
Visit of European officials to Ukraine
The declaration was signed on Tuesday, on the day that EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and several EU foreign ministers traveled to Kyiv and Bucha to commemorate the victims of the massacre “committed during Russia's temporary occupation of areas of the Kyiv region from 2022 and to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to ensure full accountability of the Russian Federation for any violation of international law in or against Ukraine”.
“We honor the memory of all the victims of the massacre in Bucha and other towns and villages in Ukraine, where civilians were subjected to mass murder, torture, sexual violence, forced deportations and other serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. The evidence collected following the withdrawal of Russian forces underscores the imperative to ensure full and comprehensive accountability,” the statement added.
“An indispensable element”
In the document, accountability is described as “an indispensable element of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, as well as respect for international law”.
At the same time, the signatory states welcome the “recent progress” for the “operationalization of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine” and express their support for the investigations of the International Criminal Court.
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin for “illegal deportation of children” and “illegal transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation,” according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a London-based think tank. The ICC then also issued an arrest warrant for the Kremlin leader.
“In this fifth year of Russia's war of aggression, we reaffirm our firm and unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and international law,” reads the statement signed by 26 of the 27 EU member states.
