Kostin hopes Ukraine will ratify Rome Statute in near future

"Ukraine will ratify the Rome Statute and become part of the family of states parties to the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court. I hope it will happen sooner rather than later. Practically, our state is ready to do this; the only question is when the parliament will be ready to vote," Kostin told a press conference on the occasion of the launch of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine in the Netherlands on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

He expressed confidence that within the very rapid development of events regarding Ukraine's accession to the EU, this issue will become an integral part of the "package" that Ukraine will ratify and implement in the near future.

At the same time, Kostin noted that Ukraine has already passed all the necessary amendments to the national legislation, which gives the ICC and the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC full competence to investigate and prosecute all international crimes committed in Ukraine’s territory during the Russian aggression.

Kostin said that the opening of a field office of the ICC Prosecutor in Ukraine in the near future, a decision that has already been approved by both sides, is evidence of the comprehensive cooperation of the Ukrainian authorities with the Office of Prosecutor Karim Khan and the International Criminal Court, and also demonstrates Ukraine's full commitment to transparent and open cooperation with colleagues from the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

As a reminder, Ukraine signed the Rome Statute on January 20, 2000 but did not ratify it, although the ratification of this document is one of Ukraine's direct international obligations after the Association Agreement with the European Union was signed in 2014.