Putin backed into corner as new court to give Russia nowhere to hide

Russian pundit says Ukraine ‘ought to be smaller’

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In a video message posted on Twitter, Ursula von der Leyen delivered a stern warning to Vladimir Putin, vowing to mobilise the international community to punish Russia’s crimes in Ukraine. The EU Commission President also said that the EU will ensure Moscow will foot the bill to compensate Ukraine for the damages caused by the war. 

She said: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has bought death, devastation and unspeakable suffering. We all remember the horrors of Bucha.

“It is estimated that more than 20,000 civilians and more than 100,000 Ukrainian military officers have been killed so far.

“Russia must pay for its horrific crimes, including for its crime of aggression against a sovereign state.

“And this is why, while continuing to support the International Criminal Court, we are proposing to set up a specialised court, backed by the United Nations, to investigate and prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression.

“We are ready to start working with the international community to get the broadest international support possible for this specialised court.”

She added: “Russia must also pay financially for the devastation that it caused.

“The damage suffered by Ukraine is estimated at €600 billion.

“Russia and its oligarchs have to compensate Ukraine for the damage and cover the costs for rebuilding the country.

“And we have the means to make Russia pay.

“We have blocked €300 billion of the Russian Central Bank reserves and we have frozen €19 billion of Russian oligarch’s money.

“In the short term, we could create, with our partners, a structure to manage these funds and invest them.

“We would then use the proceeds for Ukraine. And once the sanctions are lifted, these funds should be used so that Russia pays full compensation for the damages caused to Ukraine.

“We will work on an international agreement with our partners to make this possible. And together we can find legal ways to get to it.

“Russia’s horrific crimes will not go unpunished.”

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The message comes as NATO turned its attention on Wednesday to three countries shaken by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — Bosnia, Georgia and Moldova — as the military alliance struggles to extend its security umbrella across Europe.

At talks in Romania, the foreign ministers of the three countries met with their NATO counterparts to discuss ways that the world’s biggest security organisation might be able to help, as the war in Ukraine exposes them to political, energy and territorial uncertainty.

While the cause of the problems facing Bosnia, Georgia, and Moldova is clear, their needs and the way that NATO might be able to help them are not. No straightforward proposals about what might be done were offered by NATO ministers as they arrived at the Palace of the Parliament in the capital Bucharest.

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