03/25/2022 08:16 (act. 03/25/2022 10:48)
EU countries demand an immediate end to Russian war crimes in Ukraine. © REUTERS / Yves Herman / File photo
The European Union accuses Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine. Russia attacks civilians and targets hospitals, schools and shelters, among others.
“These war crimes must stop immediately,” says a statement published early Friday morning at the EU summit in Brussels.
The EU condemns Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine
The US government officially accused Russian troops in Ukraine of war crimes for the first time on Wednesday. “Our assessment is based on a careful review of available information from public and intelligence sources,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. US President Joe Biden temporarily attended the EU summit as a guest on Thursday.
War crimes are violations of international law that can be brought before the International Criminal Court. War crimes include the deliberate killing and starvation of civilians, obstruction of humanitarian aid, and the use of nuclear or chemical weapons.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine violates international law
In its statement at the Versailles summit two weeks ago, the EU refrained from explicitly using the term “war crimes”. However, even then, there was talk of “massive attacks on civilians and civilian objects.” “The groundless and unjustified military aggression of Russia against Ukraine grossly violates international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.”
The final declaration of the current summit now states that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is in gross violation of international law and is leading to massive deaths and injuries to the civilian population. The responsible persons and their shareholders would be held liable in accordance with international law.
The EU summit swears unity in dealing with refugees from Ukraine
Ukraine will continue to receive coordinated political, financial, material and humanitarian assistance. In addition, it is ready to swiftly decide on further, coordinated, strong sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Any attempt to circumvent already adopted sanctions or assist Russia in any other way must be stopped.
Due to the huge influx of refugees from Ukraine, the EU also swears by its unity in dealing with refugees. All efforts that have already been made to receive the people are appreciated, as declared by the EU summit in Brussels on Friday morning. At the same time, all Member States are urged to intensify their efforts “in an enduring spirit of unity and solidarity”. The European Commission should take all necessary steps to support these efforts.
Asylum and migration policy has been the cause of heated disputes among EU countries for years. The crux of the matter is the distribution of those seeking protection between the Member States. According to the UN refugee agency, approximately 3.7 million of the more than 44 million Ukrainians have left Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Over 2 million refugees came to Poland alone.
In their declaration, EU countries also called on the European Commission to present a proposal for a further structure of financial support for host countries.
Solidarity Fund providing financial support to Ukraine
In addition, it was decided to establish a solidarity fund for financial support for Ukraine. In the summit declaration, we read: “Due to the destruction and huge losses for Ukraine caused by Russia’s military aggression, the European Union is obliged to assist the Ukrainian government in its urgent need, and after the end of the Russian attack for democratic reconstruction, to support Ukraine.”
A declaration conference will be organized in due course to raise funds for the fund. Moreover, international partners are invited to participate in the development of the fund.
At the end of last week, the President of the EU Council, Charles Michel, mentioned the Solidarity Fund after a telephone conversation with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The reason was that Ukraine needed access to international liquidity to finance the import of everyday items and military equipment. Under the current conditions, the country is unable to issue bonds on the international financial market. Private investment would also be deducted.
According to the information, the fund should initially ensure the functioning of the authorities and the continuation of defense activities against Russia and emergency aid. In the longer term, huge investments to rebuild the economy could then be financed in order to anchor Ukraine economically in the West.
In the past, the EU has already established an Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, inter alia, to address the root causes of forced displacement and illegal migration and to contribute to better management of migration. By mid-2020 alone, nearly five billion euro was made available by the EU institutions, EU Member States and other donors.