Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today in a video address to the participants of the international conference “Restoring Justice for Ukraine” in The Hague, Netherlands, that the International Community must ensure that any possible aggressor is held accountable. He emphasized that anyone who takes power in Russia after the current President Vladimir Putin must understand that justice is something stronger than the walls of the Kremlin, BTA reported.
"Justice is the first line from which the establishment of peace must begin. Guns provide physical protection, but it is justice that restores a sense of security to life protected by the power of arms. And justice also restores a sense of predictability to all international relations. Any potential aggressor must know what awaits him if he disturbs the peace. Justice is able to guarantee this," Zelensky said.
More than two years after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, European ministers and international investigators gathered in The Hague to discuss progress in the prosecution of war crimes.
The Ukrainian president noted that two days ago he was in the city of Bucha in the Kyiv region, which has become a "symbol of Russian evil for the whole world". According to him, "the names of all Ukrainian civilians who were killed by the Russian soldiers in the city, as well as in other Ukrainian settlements liberated by the Russian occupiers, have not yet been established," Ukrinform notes.
"Although cities and villages are gradually being rebuilt, everywhere there is the same special feeling - the same for everyone - the feeling that there is still a lot of work to be done, work to be done especially in the name of justice. So that this evil is also defeated physically, in reality, on the battlefield, and so that people feel conviction (of this victory) in their hearts. So that everyone who came to power in Russia after Putin knows that justice is stronger than the walls of the Kremlin. We will achieve this only by working together," the Ukrainian head of state said.
In the context of what he said, Zelensky welcomed the efforts of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which last year issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Putin and which is working to restore full justice.
The Ukrainian president also emphasized the importance of continuing the work on creating "concrete systematic mechanisms to compensate for the damage caused by the war". "We are cooperating with many countries and state leaders to seize Russian assets and profits from them. All this should be for the benefit of the people that Putin tried to destroy with this war," the head of state added.
He urged the participants in the international conference in The Hague "not to deviate from the common line - the line of justice".
"And I am asking you not to slow down. We must do everything possible for the firmness of justice so that it can actually strengthen our defense - defense against aggression and terror. May real peace be restored more quickly. And let everyone who disturbs the peace be really afraid of being brought before the court in The Hague," added Zelensky.
Ukrinform notes that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is on a working visit to The Hague, within the framework of which is his participation in the conference organized by Ukraine, the Netherlands and the European Commission.
Ukraine and its EU allies are demanding justice for war criminals. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, over one hundred thousand alleged war crimes in Ukraine have been documented so far.
In addition to the Ukrainian judicial authorities, an investigation is also being conducted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Prosecutor General Karim Khan has already issued four international arrest warrants for high-ranking Russians, including Putin, on war crimes charges.
The ICC accuses the Russian president of abducting and deporting children from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. Moscow claims that these are cases of evacuation from the battlefield, DPA points out.