The United States has announced a new round of sanctions targeting
members of the International Criminal Court, the latest instance of a
pressure campaign against the court that previously issued arrest warrants
for Israeli leaders over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
In a statement on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said
that two judges and two prosecutors were being added to a list of ICC
members sanctioned by the administration of President Donald Trump.
Rubio added that, the Court is a national security threat that has been an
instrument for law fare against the United States and it's close ally Israel.
But following the US State Department announcement, the court on
Wednesday denounced the expanded US sanctions as a flagrant attack
against the independence of an impartial judicial institution and the victims
of war crimes around the world and said it would continue its work without
regard to any restriction, pressure or threat.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, welcomed Rubio’s move as a decisive act against
a smear campaign of lies against the State of Israel.
Recall that the ICC previously issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for
alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The new sanctions target Kimberly Prost of Canada, Nicolas Guillou of
France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of
Senegal.
Guillou is an ICC judge who oversaw a pre-trial panel that issued the arrest
warrant for Netanyahu, while Khan and Niang are the court’s two deputy
prosecutors.
Ukrainian officials say, Russia has launched 574 drones and 40 missiles on
Ukraine in one of the heaviest bombardments in weeks. The Ukrainian air
force said many of the attacks came from western Russia, as well as from the
Black Sea and one missile from Russian-occupied Crimea.
One person was killed in a drone and missile strike on the western city of Lviv,
and 15 people were reported wounded in an attack on the south-western
Transcarpathia region.
Ukraine's air force counted 614 drones and other missiles fired by Russia
overnight into Thursday and said it had stopped 577 of them.
This is the biggest air attack since July.
While Russian strikes tend to focus on eastern regions close to the front lines,
the latest attacks hit western areas as well. The foreign minister said
hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missiles were among the weapons used.
The attacks came as US President Donald Trump spearheads diplomatic
moves to halt the war, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the
strikes highlighted why efforts to bring it to an end were so critical.
Nevertheless, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine is ready to
meet Russia's Vladimir Putin in neutral Europe in Switzerland or Austria
and he is not against Istanbul either.
Zelensky has stated his willingness to meet Putin in any format, although he
has poured cold water on the idea of meeting him in Budapest.
The prospect of direct talks emerged after Trump met Putin in Alaska, and
then hosted Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on Monday.
