The United States will support the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into alleged abuses by Russian forces in Ukraine, two senior US senators have confirmed, marking a major about-face in Washington’s stance towards the international tribunal.
Dick Durbin, the Democratic chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Lindsey Graham, the Republican ranking member of the panel, lauded the decision by President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday.
“After pressing the administration for months, we are pleased that the administration is finally supporting the ICC’s investigation,” Durbin and Graham said in a statement.
“We will continue to work in the Senate to ensure those responsible for atrocities are held accountable, including by working to close the gap in US law for crimes against humanity.”
The move reverses a longstanding trend of the US refusing to cooperate with the ICC, partly due to concerns that the court could use its authority to investigate alleged crimes by US forces or allied countries.
