US withdraws from group investigating Russia's crimes in Ukraine – NYT

The United States is withdrawing from a multinational group investigating Russia's crimes following its invasion of Ukraine, including the actions of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

Source: European Pravda, citing The New York Times

Details: This concerns the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA), which was established to hold Russia's leadership and its allies in Belarus, North Korea and Iran accountable for aggression that violates the sovereignty of another country and is not conducted in self-defence.

According to sources familiar with the situation, the US Department of Justice has informed European officials about the US withdrawal from the group.

It is expected that the decision will be announced on 17 March in an email sent to staff and members of the group's parent organisation, the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation.

The administration of former US President Joe Biden joined the ICPA in 2023. The United States was the only country outside Europe cooperating with the group.

In addition, according to The New York Times, Trump's administration is also scaling back the work of the War Crimes Accountability Team, which was created in 2022 by the then Attorney General Merrick Garland and staffed with experienced prosecutors.

This group was meant to coordinate the efforts of the US Department of Justice to hold the Russians accountable for the atrocities committed following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Background:

• In November 2023, Joe Biden’s administration provided US$1 million to support the work of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
• In December 2023, the US Department of Justice charged four Russian soldiers for war crimes against an American living in Ukraine during Russia's full-scale invasion, marking the first such case.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!