Accountability for War Crimes in Ukraine is Prerequisite for Peace

Accountability for war crimes in Ukraine is essential for peace to return to Ukraine and everyone responsible should be held accountable, including russian president putin, observed President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, reported Ukrinform.

According to Ukrainian government sources as well as the United Nations and other global agencies, russia has perpetrated war crimes in Ukraine since its war began 12 months ago. The United States, among other countries, also believes russia is guilty of crimes against humanity, a higher level of heinous international illegalities. The list of crimes perpetrated by russian regulars as well as cutthroats in russian uniforms is long and shocking by any standards, and includes murder and rape of unarmed civilians and children as well as the destruction of living quarters and infrastructures.

Metsola said at a briefing in Lviv on Saturday morning, March 4, that when peace in Ukraine is discussed, accountability for russian war crimes must be part of the discussion. She believes that whoever is responsible for these crimes must pay. This means that if a jurisdiction for the crime of aggression is found, then a find legal means to implement it must be found, she said.

Metsola noted that during the meeting with Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin, she saw significant progress in the creation of the tribunal and very good proposals.

She said they would also meet with UN officials to make sure a mechanism is in place to collect evidence first and then prosecute. “We understand that in order to hold accountable for the crime of aggression, a Special Tribunal must be created,” she emphasized.

According to Metsola, it’s no longer a question of how to do it, but a question of when. She noted that all those responsible for the crimes should be held accountable, including putin, because without this peace would not return.

“And this is the fundamental reason why I am here today,” she added.

Ukraine President Zelenskyy has pledged that his country will further strengthen its relationship with the International Criminal Court.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin and all his accomplices must receive lawful and fair sentences,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv has registered more than 70,000 russian war crimes committed in Ukraine, reported EuroNews.

This position must be carved in stone by all free world countries and international organizations seeking peace in Ukraine.

While in Lviv, Metsola met with Zelenskyy and promised him that cooperation between Kyiv and the EU parliament would “only grow stronger.” She expressed hope that Ukraine would be allowed to begin European Union membership negotiations this year. Brussels granted Kyiv formal candidate status in June of last year. It had applied just days after russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, but the matter has evaporated since then.

In a Twitter post, Metsola praised Ukrainians as the “brave people who inspired the world” … “who sacrificed everything for our values.”

Zelenskyy also took to social media to thank Metsola for her “leadership in supporting Ukraine from the start of the war.”

Ukraine’s 10-point Peace & Victory Plan

Ukraine’s road to peace with triumph and honor.

A year after russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine, President Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan is again in the news and on the agenda of the United Nations. Though russia certainly opposes it, its tenets are nothing more than any self-respecting, sovereign, independent country would demand for itself.
The proposal was first enunciated by Zelenskyy last fall. Zelenskyy insisted he is seeking a just end to the russian war in Ukraine and he wanted to talk about the plan to achieve it publicly.
Zelenskyy has also been saying that Ukraine will not be forced to reach compromises in the pursuit of what Ukraine considers a just peace. The comment came in the wake of push from the broader world to Ukraine to focus on peace.
“Ukraine should not be offered to conclude compromises with its conscience, sovereignty, territory and independence. We respect the rules and we are people of our word,” said the Ukrainian president.
He further said that he suspected that Russia might use any peace as a ruse to re-equip its forces and launch an attack later as they have done in the past.
“Apparently, one cannot trust Russia's words, and there will be no Minsks-3, which Russia would violate immediately after signing. If there are no concrete actions to restore peace, it means that Russia simply wants to deceive all of you again, deceive the world and freeze the war just when its defeats have become particularly notable. We will not allow Russia to wait it out, build up its forces, and then start a new series of terror and global destabilization,” said Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy’s 10 points that he believes would bring peace to war-torn Ukraine:
1. Nuclear safety
Russia has repeatedly threatened the use of nuclear weapons through the war. Moreover, russians occupy Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest in Europe, and shelling in and around Zaporizhzhia has frequently disrupted the plant's functioning, such as blowing out its power supply, which have repeated raised questions over its safe operations and fears of a nuclear disaster.
“Russia has turned our Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant into a radioactive bomb that can explode at any moment...Therefore, Russia must immediately withdraw all its militants from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The station must be immediately transferred to the control of the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agencies] and the Ukrainian personnel,” said Zelenskyy.
2. Food security
The conflict in Ukraine has disrupted world food supplies and has plunged the world in food insecurity as russia and Ukraine together are among the largest wheat suppliers to the world.
russia and belarus are also some of the largest fertilizer suppliers. The war and a blockade of sea exports has affected food production elsewhere.
3. Energy security
Russia has frequently hit Ukrainian power stations among other critical infrastructure units throughout the war, plunging parts of Ukraine into darkness repeatedly.
“About 40 per cent of our energy infrastructure were destroyed by the strikes of russian missiles and Iranian drones used by the occupiers. Every week, russia blows up our power plants, transformers, and electricity supply lines,” said Zelenskyy.
4. Release of prisoners
Zelenskyy listed that all prisoners and detainees must be released. Zelenskyy said thousands of people and around 11,000 children have been forcibly taken to russia during the war.
“Apart from the children, whose data we know, there are tens of thousands of those who were forcibly deported and about whom we know only indirectly. Among them are many, whose parents were killed by russian strikes, and now they are being held in the state that murdered them,” said Zelenskyy.
5. Restoration of territories
Zelenskyy said that occupied territories must be returned to Ukraine under United Nations norms.
“russia must reaffirm the territorial integrity of Ukraine within the framework of the relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the applicable international legally binding documents,” said Zelenskyy.
6. Cessation of hostilities, military withdrawal
Zelenskyy said there must be “real and complete” cessation of hostilities.
7. Justice
Ukraine has long produced evidence of war crimes by russians, covering mass executions, sexual crimes, gendered violence, child abuse, etc. Moreover, russia has attacked civilian houses and public infrastructure throughout the war. Zelenskyy called for setting up of a tribunal for the prosecution of alleged criminals and a mechanism for the compensation for damages caused.
8. Environmental protection
Large swathes of land has been burnt by fighting and contaminated with explosives through the war. Zelenskyy said this should stop. “Millions of hectares of forest were burned by shelling. Almost two hundred thousand hectares of our land are contaminated with unexploded mines and shells...We must also find common responses to all environmental threats created by the war,” said Zelenskyy.
9. Prevention of escalation
Zelenskyy said Ukraine requires firm assurances that there would not be any escalation of conflict.
He said Ukraine was attacked as it was not a member of any alliance. Notably, if Ukraine would have been a member of NATO, then the collective defense clause of NATO would have meant that all the countries of the alliance, including the United States, would have come to military aid of Ukraine.
We need effective security assurances. That is why we prepared a draft agreement – the Kyiv Security Compact, and have already presented it to partners.
“Thus, we should hold an international conference to cement the key elements of the post-war security architecture in the Euro-Atlantic space, including guarantees for Ukraine,” he said.
10. Confirmation of war’s end
Zelenskyy said a formal declaration of the end of the war would need to be signed once all of the nine steps have been taken. “When all the antiwar measures are implemented, when security and justice begin to be restored, a document confirming the end of the war should be signed by the parties. I would like to emphasize that none of the steps above can take long. A month for one step at the most. For some steps, a couple of days are enough,” said Zelenskyy.
“The more countries of the world are involved in the Peace Formula, the more countries, especially the societies of certain large, influential countries, think about how to end the war in Ukraine - with respect for our sovereignty, with just peace - the faster it will be,” the Ukrainian president noted.
However, there is one complication that will delay peace and security in the region until it is eliminated: russia.