Shocked by the horrifying images of atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said in a video message address to the online Core Group Summit on Accountability for the Crime of the Attack on Ukraine. A special mention was made by Nikos Dendias in the almost total destruction of Mariupol, a once vibrant city that housed a large part of Ukraine’s historic Greek community.

More broadly, he noted that Russian authorities have forcibly deported thousands of people from Ukraine to Russia, Ukrainian children have been victims of horrific abductions and deportations, Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure are being targeted indiscriminately. “Under no circumstances should civilians and those who do not take an active part in hostilities be legitimate targets,” he pointed out.

In this context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs conveyed “that accountability for the main international crimes committed in Ukraine is a priority for Greece and the other EU member states”, as well as that Greece offers full support to the International Criminal Court, Ukraine and the international community in their efforts to finally bring the perpetrators of these crimes to account. “Greece has from the first moment been in favor of justice for the crimes committed in Ukraine since Russia started the war. Greece, together with the EU and other partners, fully supports the investigations of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court,” he said.

In particular, he stated that Greece supports the initiatives undertaken by the EU and other international actors with the aim of facilitating the work of the ICC prosecutor, providing assistance to the Ukrainian judicial authorities in documenting, investigating and prosecuting international crimes, and promoting coherence of actions on various accountability efforts.

In fact, he underlined that the creation in The Hague of an International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression is an important step.

At the beginning of his greeting, Nikos Dendias praised the “brave struggle” of the people of Ukraine for more than a year to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country, their freedom and independence.

At the same time, he underlined that Russia’s war of aggression constitutes an existential threat to Ukraine and is a fundamental challenge to European security and the system based on International Law and the inviolability of borders.

In this context, he pointed out that from the first moment Greece stood in full solidarity with Ukraine and proposed that the restoration of a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine based on the UN Charter and International Law is at the center of its goals.

It is noted that Greece has recently joined the Core Group on Accountability for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and is closely following the discussions held within this Group on possible legal avenues to ensure accountability for this crime.