Ukraine completes ratification of Rome Statute

Ukraine has deposited the certificate of ratification, the final official step towards ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Source: Iryna Mudra, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian President's Office, as reported by European Pravda 

Details: Mudra, together with the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Serhii Kyslytsia, deposited the certificate of ratification for storage in the depository of the Rome Statute.

Quote: "The Rome Statute is finally with Ukraine. It was a challenging journey, but we completed it and are happy with our accomplishment," she said.

The Rome Statute was signed by Ukraine in 2000, but it was yet to be ratified, despite the fact that the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council recognised the need for ratification in 2015. One of the reasons given was the worry that the ICC may persecute Ukrainian citizens.

However, in August 2024, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) decided to approve the Rome Statute, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the corresponding legislation.

Ukraine ratified the Rome Statute with a separate statement stating that within 7 years of the ratification law's entry into force, "Ukraine does not recognise the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court regarding its citizens committing crimes under Article 8 of the Rome Statute."

There is currently no clarification on how this regulation would work, considering that Ukraine has previously granted the ICC the authority to examine crimes committed on its territory.

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