NYT: US plans to withdraw from EU-led probe into Russia
Washington is preparing to withdraw from a European initiative focused on prosecuting alleged aggression, as reported by the newspaper. The administration of US President Donald Trump is stepping back from efforts to investigate and prosecute...
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Washington is preparing to withdraw from a European initiative focused on prosecuting alleged aggression, as reported by the newspaper.
The administration of US President Donald Trump is stepping back from efforts to investigate and prosecute purported Russian crimes related to the Ukraine conflict, according to the New York Times on Monday.
Sources referenced by the newspaper indicated that the US Department of Justice will exit the EU-supported International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine, which was set up to look into allegations against Russia, Belarus, North Korea, and Iran regarding international aggression.
The US became the only non-European member of the ICPA when it joined in 2023. Sources informed the NYT that Washington has communicated its impending departure to European partners prior to a formal announcement.
Officials from the administration reportedly explained the withdrawal as part of a wider effort to reduce government expenditures. Initially, the DOJ had committed $1 million to aid European investigators when US participation was first announced.
Moreover, Washington is also scaling back the operations of a DOJ team known as WarCAT, which was launched in 2022 to instruct Ukrainian prosecutors on how to charge and prosecute Russians for alleged war crimes, according to NYT sources.
Last week, it was reported that the US had ceased funding for a Yale-based research group that was searching for Ukrainian children “abducted” by Russia. Moscow has rejected Kyiv’s claims of state-organized kidnappings of thousands of minors, characterizing them as politically motivated misinterpretations of its evacuation efforts in conflict-affected regions.
Trump aims to normalize relations with Russia and views a resolution to the Ukraine conflict as a vital step in this process. He and Russian President Vladimir Putin are anticipated to have a direct phone conversation later this week.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this article for TROIB News
The administration of US President Donald Trump is stepping back from efforts to investigate and prosecute purported Russian crimes related to the Ukraine conflict, according to the New York Times on Monday.
Sources referenced by the newspaper indicated that the US Department of Justice will exit the EU-supported International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine, which was set up to look into allegations against Russia, Belarus, North Korea, and Iran regarding international aggression.
The US became the only non-European member of the ICPA when it joined in 2023. Sources informed the NYT that Washington has communicated its impending departure to European partners prior to a formal announcement.
Officials from the administration reportedly explained the withdrawal as part of a wider effort to reduce government expenditures. Initially, the DOJ had committed $1 million to aid European investigators when US participation was first announced.
Moreover, Washington is also scaling back the operations of a DOJ team known as WarCAT, which was launched in 2022 to instruct Ukrainian prosecutors on how to charge and prosecute Russians for alleged war crimes, according to NYT sources.
Last week, it was reported that the US had ceased funding for a Yale-based research group that was searching for Ukrainian children “abducted” by Russia. Moscow has rejected Kyiv’s claims of state-organized kidnappings of thousands of minors, characterizing them as politically motivated misinterpretations of its evacuation efforts in conflict-affected regions.
Trump aims to normalize relations with Russia and views a resolution to the Ukraine conflict as a vital step in this process. He and Russian President Vladimir Putin are anticipated to have a direct phone conversation later this week.
Camille Lefevre contributed to this article for TROIB News
