This was stated by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk on the air of the national telethon “United News” from the site of the international conference United for Justice in Lviv.
He noted that the main goal of the representative event is to develop effective mechanisms and ways to bring russia, as a terrorist country, to justice for all crimes committed on Ukrainian soil.
“Victory on the battlefield is not the final victory. We need to win an equally important victory in the legal field. And today we have gathered here to discuss all the legal nuances and subtleties,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk.
In particular, he said, the meeting will address the issues of how the aggressor will be held accountable for this war, how it will pay compensation to Ukraine for the damage and losses caused, how putin and the top leadership of the russian federation will be brought to legal responsibility, how to develop quick and effective legal steps so that the special tribunal and the International Criminal Court will complete this case with a logical verdict and a fair decision for the terrorist country.
“We are discussing all the nuances that relate not only to the procedure of the case, not only to the specifics of collecting evidence in 70 thousand criminal proceedings already opened. We don’t know how many more there will be by the time we win. But, as the President of Ukraine rightly said, ‘every bullet that came out of the barrel of the russian aggressor must be sentenced’. This is our goal, and we are moving towards it,” the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament emphasized.
Asked what our partners’ attitudes and moods are regarding the case, Ruslan Stefanchuk noted that this can be seen in the representation of the conference participants, including presidents and MEPs, in particular from the Netherlands, where both the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court are headquartered in The Hague.
“Our partners have demonstrated that they are ready to lend a shoulder to Ukraine not only in terms of military, financial or humanitarian aid, but also legal aid. We will discuss not only the issue of readiness, but also a specific path. We are ready, there will be a way, and the goal will be achieved,” Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasized.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Parliament, for its part, is also taking all the necessary steps to launch the procedures in the case in international legal institutions as soon as possible.
In particular, the relevant draft law on cooperation with the ICC has already been adopted and enacted, so the Court now has absolutely all the tools to do everything necessary to proceed with the case on russia’s responsibility.
In addition, Ruslan Stefanchuk noted, the Parliament of Ukraine has made a number of political statements and appeals to international and world institutions and parliaments of the world regarding the creation of a special tribunal, proceedings at the ICC, reparations and compensation from russia, etc.
Also, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is constantly working on legislative support, compliance with European legislation and international law mechanisms for issues related to compensation for damage caused to Ukraine, freezing of кussian assets, confiscation of its property and transfer of it to Ukraine.
“And another important issue that we have to resolve is the issue of the sovereign state sovereignty of the russian federation, so that we can bring the russian state to justice in legal institutions. There are many questions. The issues are complex. But I am convinced that we will find answers to them,” the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine assured at the end of the interview.