Parliament of Ukraine ratified Rome Statute

Ukraine's parliament ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Aug. 21, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said, The Kyiv Independent reports. The ratification was supported by 281 lawmakers, with one voting against. President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted a package of bills on the ratification of the statute earlier in August. It will come into force 60 days after being received by the U.N. secretary general. The ratification was adopted with a caveat that Ukraine would not recognize the court's jurisdiction over Ukrainian citizens in the case of war crimes for seven years following its official adoption. "By taking this step, Ukraine demonstrates its unwavering commitment to strengthening international justice," said Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. "With the ratification of the Rome Statute, Ukraine also took another significant step toward joining the EU." Ukraine signed the Rome Statute in 2000 but has not ratified it since then. In 2015, Ukraine emphasized the ultimate necessity of ratification through a decision made by the National Security and Defense Council. Following the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, authorities considered ratifying the Rome Statute, but only after the end of the war. The Ukrainian government has not yet commented on how the ratification will be applied. At the same time, Ukraine has already allowed the ICC to investigate crimes committed in its territory, which de facto recognizes the body's jurisdiction.