Fiona Govan
Spain has joined calls for the International Criminal Court in The Hague to pursue Vladimir Putin for his unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
Government spokeswoman Isabel Rodriguez announced that ministers had agreed to refer the request for an investigation to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to establish whether crimes under its jurisdiction have been committed in Ukraine.
“We will do everything in our power and use all the tools of the state to fight Putin’s war,” she said after the weekly cabinet meeting.
Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares also stressed that Putin should be held accountable for war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.
He said on Wednesday that Spain was among 38 states asking the ICC to investigate Putin for war crimes.
In an interview with Telecinco, Albares said Putin would face consequences for his unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
He said the main objective was to ‘isolate Putin and those around him more and more’ .
He reiterated statements by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez that Spain would continue to send shipments of weapons to aid Ukraine resistance against Russian forces.
Earlier this week US President Joe Biden said his opinion is that Putin is a war criminal.
Russia has carried out bombing on hospitals and a theater where children were seeking refuge. Russian forces are also suspected of using cluster bombs and so-called vacuum bombs in dense areas with many civilians, all acts which fall under the definition of war crimes.
The International Criminal Court has specific definitions for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.
However, Russia has not ratified the ICC’s Rome Statute, which means there is very little chance of Putin ending up in the dock.
READ ALSO:
- Spain cancels art loans to Russian museums in protest at Ukraine war
- Spain will send more weapons to Ukraine over ‘coming days’
- EXPLAINED:How Russia’s war with Ukraine is affecting consumers in Spain
