Ukrainian Foreign Minister in The Hague: Ukrainians Need Justice Now, not in the Distant Future

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said in his speech at an international conference in The Hague that Ukrainians need justice now, rather than in a distant future, Ukrinform reports.

"In my speech at the opening of the 'Restoring Justice for Ukraine' conference of 57 countries in The Hague, I emphasized that Ukrainians need justice right now. Not in a distant future. Ukrainians don't want to hear that justice will be served. They want to see it served already. Not only on the battlefield, but in the courtrooms and real decisions as well. And they have a right to demand this," Kuleba said.

He added that in this context, Ukraine does already have tangible results on four accountability tracks. The Register of Damage is now operational, allowing Ukrainians to request compensation for damage or destruction of residential property, and its scope will further expand. The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) has been established, and its prosecutors are currently investigating and preparing indictments for this crime. The International Criminal Court has already issued first four arrest warrants, including for Russian dictator Putin, and more of them are anticipated. First decisions to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's benefit have already been made, and this work must achieve more results this year.

Kuleba said that more work must be done.

"However, the first steps show that justice for Russian aggression and subsequent atrocities is unavoidable," he said.

Kuleba is on a working visit to The Hague on April 2, where he is participating in the ministerial conference "Restoring Justice for Ukraine."

The event is co-organized by Ukraine, the Netherlands, and the European Commission. Among the participants are the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, President of Eurojust, representatives from the International Register of Damages Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine (RD4U), and the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA).

A political declaration will be adopted at the end of the conference.