Ukraine’s allies back Kyiv at top UN court against Russia

In an unprecedented show of solidarity, 32 states back Ukraine at the UN court, accusing Russia of manipulating the genocide convention to validate its 2022 invasion.

byYuri Zoria

20/09/2023

2 minute read

international court of justice, russia ukraine war

The International Court of Justice, which has its seat in The Hague, is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Photo: icj-cij.org

Ukraine’s allies back Kyiv at top UN court against Russia

On 20 September, Ukraine’s international allies filed into the United Nations’ top court to support Kyiv’s case against Russia that alleges Moscow twisted the genocide convention to manufacture a pretext for its invasion last year, France 24 reports.

Reuters says “more than a dozen European states, as well as Australia and Canada,” asked the World Court to decide “it has jurisdiction in a case brought by Kyiv alleging that Russia abused the Genocide Convention to provide a pretext for the invasion of Ukraine.”

France 24 reports that an unprecedented 32 states made legal arguments in support of Ukraine to the 16-judge panel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Two days after Russia started a full-scale war against Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Ukraine brought a case to the ICJ contending that the attack stemmed from Russia’s false claims of acts of genocide in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. According to Ukraine, Russia is abusing the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, adopted in the aftermath of World War Two.

German representative Wiebke Ruckert told judges the countries “strongly believe” the court has jurisdiction, and her country had a strong interest in how the genocide treaty was interpreted “not least in view of our past,” according to Reuters.

On 17 September, Russia asked the court to throw out the case, claiming Moscow had not actually invoked the genocide treaty when it used the term genocide.

“The court’s panel of international judges will likely take weeks or months to reach a decision on whether the case can proceed. If it does, a final ruling could still be years away,” according to France 24.

Read also:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here

You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Will the West continue to support Ukraine?

Know what moves the world.
Premium journalism from across Europe.
Tailored to your needs, translated into English.

Special discount

for Euromaidan Press readers

We are an independent media outlet that relies solely on advertising revenue to sustain itself. We do not endorse or promote any products or services for financial gain. Therefore, we kindly ask for your support by disabling your ad blocker. Your assistance helps us continue providing quality content. Thank you!