The United States has indicated that it may halt international efforts to prosecute Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. This information comes from The Telegraph, citing statements from Western officials.
The publication reminded that U.S. representatives refrained from labeling Russia as an "aggressor" during a meeting of the "key group" of countries preparing a Nuremberg-style tribunal to hold Russian dictator Vladimir Putin accountable for his war crimes.
Additionally, Washington is also unwilling to co-author a UN statement that supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and demands that Russia withdraw its military from Ukrainian territory.
"The Trump administration also declined to sign a planned G7 statement on Monday, which would have labeled Russia as the 'aggressor' in the war with Ukraine on the occasion of the third anniversary of the conflict. The U.S. president accused Ukraine of starting the war, referred to Volodymyr Zelensky as a 'dictator,' and insisted that Russia be invited back into the alliance of industrialized nations," The Telegraph noted.
Consequently, European officials are concerned that Trump's friendly stance towards Putin might lead to the Russian dictator being absolved of his criminal actions in Ukraine.
As a result, preparations for the final meeting of the "key group" remain uncertain. It is known that this group leads a coalition of 40 countries to establish a Special Tribunal for Aggression against Ukraine, similar to what occurred after World War II.
This coalition anticipates that the U.S. and other nations will join Ukraine in providing jurisdiction to a special criminal tribunal to investigate the crime of aggression and those who committed and were involved in it.
"If they do not acknowledge that this is aggression, they cannot participate," one official remarked regarding the U.S. opposition to defining Russia as an aggressor.
Thus, if Washington withdraws its support for the tribunal, it would deal a significant blow to the international reputation and authority of the project.
"This is quite a radical shift. Rewriting history and pretending that Russia did not start this war is something we cannot agree to," emphasized a European diplomat in an interview with The Telegraph.
It is noted that the U.S. has not officially exited the coalition and is expected to participate in its next meeting in March, which will take place in Strasbourg (France).
"A diplomatic note reviewed by The Telegraph indicates that European officials were 'shocked' by U.S. statements at several international meetings suggesting that Russia should be invited back into the 'civilized world.' European capitals are currently negotiating the potential dissolution of the special tribunal if the U.S. were to withdraw, as is feared," the publication reports.
The Telegraph highlighted that this new stance from the U.S. significantly differs from the policy of former President Joe Biden, who labeled Putin as a 'war criminal' and signed several international statements categorizing Russia as a state-aggressor.
Trump's Policy on Ukraine - Latest News
Previously, Donald Trump stated that Russia attacked Ukraine without cause, but Zelensky was saying the wrong things. According to him, Putin wants to reach a peace agreement.
"You know, every time I say, oh, it's not Russia's fault, I'm always criticized by fake news (this is what Trump calls media that do not share his viewpoint - UNIAN). But I'm telling you, Biden was saying the wrong things. Zelensky was saying the wrong things. They were attacked by someone much bigger and stronger - which is bad to do, and it shouldn't be done. But Russia could have been easily dissuaded from this," noted the American leader.
Trump also believes that Zelensky does not need to be present at negotiations with Russia. He pointed out that it is "not very important" for the Ukrainian president to be at the meetings.