The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Wednesday that the European Union will cooperate with the International Criminal Court to “establish a specialized court to try Russia for the crimes it committed in Ukraine.”
And she said in a video clip she posted on Twitter: “Russia must pay for its horrific crimes, including the crime of aggression against a sovereign state, and for this reason, while we continue our support for the International Criminal Court (based in Rome), we propose the establishment of a specialized court supported by the United Nations to investigate Russia and prosecute it for the crime of committing aggression against another country.
Von der Leyen added that Russia must “financially bear the price for the damage it caused in Ukraine,” noting that the damage caused to Ukraine is estimated at 600 billion euros ($621.8 billion).
And she continued, “Russia and its oligarchs (Russian businessmen and influencers) should compensate Ukraine for the damages and cover the costs of rebuilding the country.”
- Advertisement -
In the context, she explained that the European Union has already frozen 300 billion euros from the reserves of the Russian Central Bank, in addition to 19 billion euros from the oligarch’s money.
And she added, “In the short term, we can create a structure with our partners to manage and invest these funds.”
And she noted that once sanctions against Russia are lifted, “this money should be used as full compensation to Ukraine.”
Since February 24, Russia has launched a military operation in Ukraine, which resulted in angry international reactions and the imposition of “tough” economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.
