President Zelensky Calls For The Establishment Of A Special Court For The Russian Invasion: Show These People Are Not Untouched

President Zelensky during a visit to the ICC in the Netherlands. (Source: President.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin must be brought to justice for his war in Ukraine, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said while visiting the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands on Thursday, calling for the creation of a special court dedicated to assess Russia's invasion.

"We will form separate courts to show that these people are not untouched," President Zelensky told a news conference.

"We need justice," he said.

The ICC, a permanent war crime court based in The Hague, in March issued an arrest warrant for President Putin on suspicion of deportation of children from Ukraine, potentially a war crime.

But the ICC, has no jurisdiction over the crime of aggression in Ukraine. The aggression action is defined by the United Nations as "invasion or attack by the armed forces of a country (in) territory of any other country, or any military occupation".

Meanwhile, the European Commission, among others, said it supports the formation of a separate international hub for prosecution of aggression crimes in Ukraine, but its location remains in The Hague.

"We all want to see Vladimir who is different here in The Hague, a person who deserves to be sanctioned for his crimes here, in the capital city of international law," President Zelensky said in a speech, referring to President Putin.

"I'm sure we'll see that happen when we win, and we'll win," he said.

The main legal and practical questions remain about how a new court would judge aggression to be legitimized, either by a group of countries supporting it or with the approval of the UN General Assembly.

It is known that Russia is not a member of the ICC and has rejected its jurisdiction. Moscow denies committing atrocities during its conflict with Ukraine, which it calls a "special operation" for "demilitarizing" its neighbors.

The Netherlands has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in February saying he did not rule out any military support for Kyiv, as long as it did not bring NATO into conflict with Russia.

Promising "unshakable support," PM Rutte said there was "no taboo" to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, and discussions were ongoing with other countries on the matter.

Meanwhile, Russia has stepped up attacks as Ukraine prepares a counter-attack to try to retake Russian-occupied land in the south and east. The Russian shooting on the front lines of Kherson's southern region killed at least 23 civilians on Wednesday.