All Russian military, political leadership must be held accountable for war crimes - Nauseda

Russia has committed multiple war crimes since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, so all of its military and political leadership must be held to account by an international court.

This was stated by the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, who spoke at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday on behalf of the three Baltic States, Ukrinform's own correspondent reports.

"It is truly the shame that Russia is still able to hide behind the veto power and actively uses this power to cover crimes of its partners. Each and every person in this room knows about Kremlin's many crimes," he said.

The list of these crimes, the Lithuanian leader stated, is long. Therefore, the Baltic States demand that these actions lead to accountability.

"The whole political and military leadership of Russia must be held accountable," Nauseda said.

In this regard, he indicated the need to establish a special international tribunal regarding the crime of aggression against Ukraine. And all countries that have ratified the Rome Statute shall arrest war criminals under ICC warrants.

In addition, Nauseda emphasized that true responsibility cannot be ensured without a decisive victory for Ukraine.

"Peace can only be achieved through the full restoration of Ukraine's territory within its internationally recognized borders. Security can only be guaranteed by Russia's acknowledgement that it will never prevail over the brave Ukrainian people," said the Lithuanian president. Therefore, according to Nauseda, it is the duty of the international community to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes until its final victory”.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, a UN Security Council meeting on achieving peace and security in Ukraine took place on Tuesday in New York. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, spoke at the event.

Photo: V. Raupelio/LRT.lt