“What we have been experiencing since February 24 is a return to the era of imperialism and colonies. France refuses this and will stubbornly strive for peace,” the French president emphasized on Tuesday.
“Who’s hegemonic these days if it’s not Russia?” he wondered. “Those who are silent today are complicity in the new imperialism. It shows a contemporary cynicism that disrupts our international order without which peace is not possible,” Macron said.
Ukraine asked earlier at the meeting for a large-scale separate tribunal to try Russia’s war crimes. So far, however, Ukrainian allies have been lukewarm. Instead of a special tribunal, many countries see existing bodies such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the best forum to prosecute a case against Russia. But that is not enough for Ukrainian officials, who fear that the ICC will only hold accountable those who directly committed the crimes, rather than senior positions in the Putin administration. In addition, the ICC will not be able to prosecute Russia for the violations, as Russia has not ratified the Rome Statute – the international agreement that established the court in 2002.