EU ‘strongly supports’ war crimes trial for Russia
Riga, Oct 10 (EFE).- European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Monday that the bloc “strongly” supported international tribunals to try Russian leaders for war crimes allegedly committed in Ukraine.
“We strongly support international tribunals for war crimes, it has to be brought before the law,” von der Leyen told reporters in a joint press conference with Estonia’s prime minister Kaja Kallas in Tallinn.
The Commission chief added the bloc had supported Ukraine in collecting evidence for a potential trial since the very beginning of the Russian invasion.
“It is of utmost importance that those responsible for crimes are held accountable,” von der Leyen said.
Kallas echoed that sentiment and said that the EU would play a leading role in setting up a tribunal.
“There are war crimes and then there are crimes of aggression and for prosecuting crimes of aggression we need an international tribunal,” Kallas told reporters.
“So the question is, which organization is putting up the international tribunal and I see that the European Union could be the embodiment.”
The leaders also commented on the recently approved eighth package of sanctions against Russia.
“These sanctions are really biting, we see that in the Russian economy, it is absolutely going down the drain and what we see by now is that our export bans are having a very severe impact on the economy,” von der Leyen said.
The German politician and Estonian prime minister also discussed the energy crisis driven by the Kremlin’s aggression in Ukraine.
Von der Leyen said that the EU’s efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian energy had cut deliveries from Moscow by 10% and that consumption of Russian gas had dropped from 40% to 7.5%.
The Commission chief is in Estonia to attend the Tallinn Digital Summit 2022. She will also visit the town of Narva on the border with Russia, where Ukrainian refugees have been attempting to cross.
Kallas said Ukrainian refugees, mainly women and children, amounted to some 4.4% of Estonia’s population. EFE
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