Ukraine petitioned the International Court of Justice on Sunday to hold Russia accountable for its actions against Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Twitter that Russia must answer for “manipulating the concept of genocide to justify aggression.” “Ukraine has filed an application with the International Court of Justice against Russia.” Russia must be held accountable for distorting the concept of genocide in order to justify aggression. “We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity immediately, and we anticipate that trials will begin next week,” the president tweeted.
Ukraine has submitted its application against Russia to the ICJ. Russia must be held accountable for manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression. We request an urgent decision ordering Russia to cease military activity now and expect trials to start next week.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 27, 2022
The clash between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers continues on the fourth day of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, as Russian troops invade Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Russia’s offer to hold talks in Belarus, accusing the country of complicity in Russia’s operation against Ukraine. Zelensky stated that he is also willing to hold talks, but not in Belarus. He suggested that alternative meeting locations include Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, Istanbul, and Baku.
What can ICJ do?
The International Court of Justice, a United Nations body, ruled in 2019 that it had jurisdiction to hear a dispute between Ukraine and Russia over the Crimea region.
According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a direct violation of the United Nations Charter, which governs the UN and its 193 member states.
On Sunday, Zelensky claimed that Russian forces were bombarding residential areas in his country. “Today, there is nothing in the country that the occupiers (Russian forces) do not regard as an acceptable target.” “They fight everyone,” he said.
