The European Commission wants to use the assets seized from Russia to continue supporting Ukraine in the war it is waging, and we are talking about many billions of euros belonging to the Russian state that are currently blocked in various European banks by the authorities.
The European Commission explains below part of the plan it has regarding how it wants to use Russian goods to support Ukraine, and the whole situation shows us how paradoxical the war waged by the Russians is at the moment.
"The Commission today presented different options to Member States to ensure that Russia is held accountable for the atrocities and crimes committed during the war in Ukraine. The Commission proposes the creation of a new structure to manage frozen and immobilized Russian public assets, invest them and use the proceeds for Ukraine.
The Commission, while continuing to support the work of the International Criminal Court, is prepared to cooperate with the international community in establishing an international ad hoc or specialized "hybrid" tribunal to investigate and prosecute Russia's crime of aggression.
Accountability for international crimes! Ukraine as well as 14 member states have already started investigations into international crimes committed by Russia. They are supported by Eurojust through joint investigation teams.
All EU Member States are parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the EU fully supports the ICC in its investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, Russia does not accept the jurisdiction of the ICC. This means that as it stands, the crime of aggression, which is a crime committed by the highest political and military leadership, cannot be prosecuted by the ICC.
This is why the Commission is proposing alternative options to ensure that justice is done: A special independent international tribunal based on a multilateral treaty or.
A specialized court integrated into a national justice system with international judges – a hybrid court – could be established. For both options, strong support from the United Nations would be essential."
Russia must pay for its crimes.
We propose to create a new structure to manage frozen Russian public assets, invest them and use the funds for Ukraine.
While supporting @IntlCrimCourt, we are ready to help set up a specialized court to prosecute its crimes.#StandWithUkraine
- European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) November 30, 2022
