The United States has indicated that it may withdraw from international efforts to prosecute Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, reports the British publication The Telegraph on Friday, citing its own sources.
"According to Western officials, U.S. representatives declined to label Russia as an aggressor during the 'Core Group' meeting of countries preparing a Nuremberg-style tribunal to hold Vladimir Putin accountable for his war crimes. Washington also refuses to co-author a UN statement that supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity and calls on Moscow to withdraw its troops from the war-torn country. The Trump administration also declined to sign a planned G7 statement that identifies Russia as the aggressor in the war against Ukraine, coinciding with the third anniversary of the conflict on Monday," the report states.
According to the publication, European officials are concerned that Trump's actions could lead to Putin escaping accountability for his invasion in any peace settlement.
"Such a stance has cast doubt on preparations for the final meeting of the 'Core Group' next month. The group leads a coalition of 40 countries to establish a Special Tribunal for investigating the crimes of aggression against Ukraine, modeled after the response to Nazi war crimes after World War II. This involves the U.S. and other countries joining Ukraine to provide jurisdiction for a special criminal tribunal to investigate both the perpetrators of the crime of aggression and those complicit in it," the article states.
Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court in The Hague cannot prosecute the crime of aggression.
"If they do not recognize it as aggression, they cannot participate," said an unnamed official regarding the U.S. opposition to defining Russia as an aggressor.
The publication notes that the loss of U.S. support for the tribunal would be a significant blow to the international reputation and authority of the project. "Rewriting history and pretending that Russia did not start this war is something we simply cannot and will not agree to," said a European diplomat.
However, the U.S. has not officially withdrawn from the framework and is expected to participate in the next meeting next month in Strasbourg, France.
A diplomatic note reviewed by the publication indicated that European officials were "shocked" by U.S. statements at a series of international meetings suggesting that Russia should be invited back into the "civilized world." Negotiations are currently underway in European capitals regarding the potential collapse of the special tribunal if the U.S. were to withdraw.