Ukrainian Parliament Votes to Join International Criminal Court

(Patria) - After years of delay and despite army opposition, the Ukrainian parliament yesterday voted to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), in the hope of being able to punish Russia for war crimes committed in Ukraine, Ukrainian MPs said.

This is a very sensitive issue in Ukraine, as many fear that Ukrainian armed forces fighting the Russian army may also become targets of the ICC, whose mandate is to prosecute perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed satisfaction with this "historic decision".

"It was a long journey full of challenges, myths, and fears. None of them were true. And today we have finally achieved it," Kuleba posted on platform X.

281 MPs voted for the ratification of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, making Ukraine the 125th member of the institution, with a minimum of 226 votes required.

"The decision will open greater opportunities for punishing Russians and will strengthen Russia's isolation," said MP Yevheniia Kravchuk from the president's party on Facebook.

According to her, Ukraine invoked Article 124 of the Rome Statute, which allows for a seven-year exemption for all Ukrainians, civilians and military personnel, from prosecution for war crimes before the ICC.

"The ratification of this document, forwarded to parliament by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is part of Kyiv's obligations to the EU. It is a necessary, entirely justified, and safe measure," Kravchuk assessed.

The vote was preceded by "difficult discussions," said opposition MP Iryna Herashchenko, who, like her party European Solidarity, did not support the text.

"Soldiers asked for the ratification to be postponed until the end of martial law. No one has explained what will happen after the seven-year exemption under Article 124 expires," she posted on Telegram.

After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and several other high-ranking Russian civil and military officials for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

Kyiv is already cooperating with the ICC to ensure general accountability for all Russian atrocities in Ukraine. This war will be even more effective from now on, said Minister Kuleba.