Ukraine is ready to ratify the Rome Statute

Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said that Ukraine is ready to ratify the Rome Statute and will do so in the near future as part of the EU accession process.

He said this at a press conference on the occasion of the launch of the International Center for the Investigation of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, according to Yevropeiska Pravda.

"My position is absolutely strong: Ukraine will ratify the Rome Statute and become part of the family of members of the Rome Statute and the ICC. I hope it will be approved sooner or later. Practically speaking, our country is ready to do this. The only question is when the parliament will be ready to vote," Kostin said.

According to the Prosecutor General, the Rome Statute will be ratified as part of the package of decisions approved on the way to the EU "in the near future."

"I hope that as part of our very rapid development in the process of joining the European Union, this will be an integral part of the package that Ukraine will ratify and approve in the near future," the Prosecutor General said.

He also reminded that Ukraine has already implemented domestic legislation that gives the ICC, the ICC Prosecutor's Office, full authority to investigate and prosecute all international crimes committed in Ukraine during the Russian aggression.

There are 123 states parties to the Rome Statute. China, India, Belarus, Turkey, and Kazakhstan, among others, have not signed or ratified the statute. Russia, like the United States, signed the statute, but later withdrew its signature.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 04/07/2023