The US Department of Justice has informed European officials about Washington’s withdrawal from the international group that is investigating Russia’s crimes during the invasion of Ukraine, including the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, knowledgeable sources have told the New York Times (NYT). At issue is the International Center for the Prosecution of Crimes of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA), which was created to prosecute Russia’s leadership, as well as its allies in Belarus, North Korea and Iran.
The decision is expected to be officially announced on March 17 in an email to members of the group’s parent organization, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust). In doing so, the U.S. was the only country outside of Europe to cooperate with the group. The U.S. authorities sent a senior Justice Department prosecutor to The Hague to work with investigators from Ukraine, the Baltic States and Romania. The decision to withdraw from the group, which the administration of US President Joe Biden joined in 2023, is further evidence that President Donald Trump is moving away from Washington’s previous commitment to hold Putin personally responsible for crimes against Ukraine, the NYT notes.
