Around the embattled town of Bakhmout, Russia says it has captured three villages

The European Union (EU) wants to create a United Nations-backed special court to investigate and prosecute war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, the head of the European Commission announced on Wednesday. “We are ready to begin working with the international community to garner the widest possible international support for this special tribunal.”Ursula van der Leyen said she would continue to support the International Criminal Court.

The creation of such a tribunal has been requested on several occasions by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Baltic states. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction only over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine. “Crimes of Aggression” of Russia, because Moscow did not sign the Treaty of Rome establishing the court. The ICC cannot investigate Russian President Vladimir Putin, his prime minister and his foreign minister, who enjoy immunity from prosecution during their tenure, the commission notes. “A tribunal Temporary Jurisdiction over crimes of aggression would allow prosecution of very senior Russian leadersShe continues.

The Netherlands, which already hosts the ICC in The Hague, has indicated its presence in hosting the Special Tribunal. But the Commission recognizes that the creation of such a court would require broad international support. Due to Russian opposition, the UN If the proposal is unlikely to pass in the Security Council, it could cause more upheaval in the General Assembly.

The EU executive has also proposed a plan to seize frozen Russian assets in response to the February invasion of Ukraine. “We froze 300 billion euros of Russian Central Bank reserves and 19 billion euros to Russian oligarchs”, the chairman of the commission said in a media statement. In the short term, Brussels and its stakeholders can manage and invest these funds. Proceeds will go to Ukraine, which will partially offset the damage done since the start of the war. “We will work with our partners on an international agreement to make this possible and find legal ways to do it.Added Ursula von der Leyen.

More than 20,000 Ukrainian civilians and more than 100,000 military personnel have been killed or injured since the invasion of Ukraine began in February, the EU chief executive said. The damage caused by Ukraine, according to him, is estimated at 600 billion euros.