New York / The Hague / Kyiv
For three years now, the suffering of the Ukrainian population has reverberated far beyond the country’s borders. Ukraine has stood at the forefront of defending the fundamental principles of international law and a rules-based international order. During this time, grave atrocities committed on Ukrainian territory and against Ukrainian civilians have been documented on a large scale, including summary executions, torture, deportation of Ukrainian children, environmental crimes, conflict-related sexual violence, and the displacement of millions of people.
As Ukraine continues to fight against the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion and remains in dire humanitarian need, recent economic aid cuts, geopolitical tensions, and potentially reduced US military aid jeopardize the path to just and lasting peace.
Ukraine’s peace process must not come at the expense of accountability. Significant efforts have been made in this regard, including by Ukraine itself. Since 2022, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office has launched over 150,000 investigations into war crimes and other conflict-related abuses, and in 2024 alone, Ukrainian courts convicted 66 individuals of war crimes.
One of Ukraine’s main achievements in strengthening international justice was the formal ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Following the adoption of the Law Ratifying the Rome Statute of the ICC and its Amendments by the Verkhovna Rada on 21 August 2024, Ukraine deposited its instrument of ratification on 25 October, officially becoming the 125th State Party to the ICC on 1 January 2025. Previously, on 3 May 2022, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the Law on the Amendments to the Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine, establishing a direct mechanism of cooperation of the Ukrainian prosecutorial and judicial authorities with the ICC, while designating relevant domestic authorities to serve as focal points for the communication with the ICC. Now, the next crucial step is aligning Ukraine’s legislation with the Rome Statute to ensure the effective prosecution of serious crimes within its domestic criminal justice system.
At the international level, the ICC’s ongoing investigation has seen further progress. In 2024, four new warrants of arrest were issued by the Pre-Trial Chamber II against individuals suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity, in addition to the ones already pending against Mr. Putin and Ms. Lvova-Belova. These developments occurred despite the increasing threats against the Court, including acts of intimidation and cyber-attacks, as well as Russian arrest warrants targeting ICC officials, ICC President, Judge Tomoko Akane; ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan; and Judges Rosario Salvatore Aitala, Sergio Godinez, and Haykel Ben Mahfoudh.Ukraine has been fighting against impunity since the occupation of Crimea in 2014. In fighting the illegal invasion, Ukraine is not only defending its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity but also the very principles on which the international rules-based order relies. Peace cannot come without justice, and for this to happen, those responsible must be held accountable, including for the crime of aggression. Ukraine has demonstrated its commitment to strengthening international justice mechanisms by becoming the 125th State Party to the ICC. However, this crucial step must be accompanied by increased solidarity from the international community, including parliamentarians around the world, who must work together to support victims and survivors of the gravest crimes for meaningful justice to prevail. Justice and peace require unity. Dr. Galyna Mykhailiuk, MP (Ukraine), Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Deputy Head of the Committee on Law Enforcement and PGA Board Member
Further steps have also been taken in the pursuit of justice for the crime of aggression, i.e., the root cause of the full-scale war launched by the Russian Federation. While the European Union and the Council of Europe have laid the legal foundations for a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, States Parties to the ICC are also preparing for the upcoming Special Session of the Assembly on the Review of the Amendments on the crime of aggression. This conference presents a unique opportunity to align the Court’s jurisdictional regime surrounding the crime of aggression with the three other core Rome Statute crimes. This would be an essential step for achieving effective and sustainable international justice, as advocated by PGA in its proposal in 2023.
PGA remains committed to working alongside its members in Ukraine and across the world to uphold our shared commitment to justice, accountability, and the rule of law.
