Statement

by H.E. Ambassador Dr. Andriy Melnyk, LL.M.,

Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations

at the Eighty-first Session of the United Nations General Assembly

under the agenda item 73 

“Report of the Report of the International Criminal Court ”

(2 November 2026)

Mr. President,

Ukraine aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the European Union.

Now, I would like to make additional remarks in my national capacity.

At the outset, let me express gratitude to the President of the International Criminal Court, Honorable Judge Tomoko Akane, for the presentation of the annual report of the Court, and to commend all the judges, the Prosecutor's Office and the ICC staff for their dedicated hard work over the past year.

Mr. President,

As a State Party to the Rome Statute, Ukraine reaffirms its unwavering support for the International Criminal Court and for its independence and integrity.

Our close partnership with the Court did not begin yesterday.

More than a decade ago, in 2014 and 2015, shortly after Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of Crimea, Ukraine lodged two declarations accepting the Court's jurisdiction over crimes committed on our territory.

On 1 January 2025, the Rome Statute entered into force for Ukraine, and we joined this community of nations as its 125th State Party, with full rights and full responsibility.

I will hardly be revealing a secret when I say that for Ukraine, the International Criminal Court is a vital judicial institution in our pursuit of accountability for Russian barbaric atrocities and in delivering justice to victims and survivors.

The ICC plays an essential role in ensuring accountability for crimes within its jurisdiction committed in the context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine – war crimes and crimes against humanity that have touched  almost every Ukrainian family.

 

Mr. President,

The International Criminal Court has issued six arrest warrants against senior Russian officials.

In March 2023, it issued warrants against Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children.

According to official data, Russia has deported or forcibly abducted over 20,000 Ukrainian children. Each of them has a name, a family and a home to which they must return immediately.

In March 2024, the Court issued warrants against Russia’s high ranking military offcials Sergei Kobylash and Viktor Sokolov, and in June 2024 against Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, for the atrocious missile campaign against Ukraine's electricity infrastructure.

These appalling crimes left millions of Ukrainian civilians without heat, light and water amid the bitterest winter cold, with temperatures plunging to minus twenty degrees Celcius.

Mr. President,

Sadly, all these crimes medieval in their brutality are not a thing of the past.

Russia continues to perpetrate its bestial monstrous missile, and drone strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure to this very today with relentless impunity.

Last winter was one of the hardest our people have ever endured, and the winter now approaching threatens to be even harsher.

Unable to achieve any meaningful gains on the battlefield, Russia resorts to acts of barbarism unparalleled in human history.

Russia seeks to make life unbearable for Ukrainians – by depriving peaceful civilians of water, heat and light, the basic things that the vast majority of nations take for granted.

Mr. President,

All these Russia’s deliberate ruthless inhuman attacks against the civilian population, against women and children, in Ukraine must not go unpunished.

All these warrants of the ICC must be executed.

We call upon all States Parties to comply fully with their obligations under the Rome Statute, including by arresting and surrendering the persons concerned to the Court.

Every act of non-cooperation weakens not only the ICC, but the whole system of international justice that we have built together.

Those responsible for the gravest crimes must be brought to justice – regardless of their rank or position.

And let us not be misled by those who claim that justice stands in the way of peace. Nothing could be further from the truth.

There can be no lasting peace, no genuine reconciliation, without accountability for the perpetrators of these heinous war crimes.

Mr. President,

All these Russia’s atrocities have one root cause – the crime of aggression itself.

Owing to existing jurisdictional limitations, the Court – unfortunately - cannot prosecute this supreme international crime committed by the Russian Federation.

It is therefore precisely for this reason that Ukraine and the Council of Europe concluded the agreement establishing the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

We are grateful to the European Union and to all States that have joined this effort.

Let me be clear: the Special Tribunal complements the International Criminal Court – it does not replace it.

Working side by side, they will help close the accountability gap, so that no crime, and no one responsible, escapes justice.

We urge all States, irrespective of whether they are members of the Council of Europe, to become part of this historic endeavor and join the Management Committee of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

Mr. President,

We are mindful of the challenging environment in which the International Criminal Court carries out its mandate today.

In these circumstances, Ukraine remains fully committed to working with other States Parties to ensure the ICC’s effective functioning – through cooperation, through support for victims, and through implementing the Rome Statute in our national legislation.

In this spirit, Ukraine stands ready to contribute to the work of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute as a member of its Bureau in 2027.

I thank you.