The European Union proposed establishing a specialized court to investigate and prosecute Russia for war crimes, following renewed calls by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pursue Moscow for the “crime of aggression” against Ukraine. “Russia must pay for its horrific crimes,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted Wednesday, proposing that the tribunal be backed by the United Nations and work with the International Criminal Court.
Ukraine live briefing: E.U. proposes war crimes tribunal; energy woes continue; White House ‘concerned’ about Paul Whelan
NATO ministers met for a second day in Bucharest, Romania, after alliance officials condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for targeting vital infrastructure and pledged wide-ranging support for Ukraine, including fuel and generators. About 6 million energy customers in most regions of the country and in Kyiv are disconnected from electricity, Zelensky said in his nightly address.
On the sidelines of the NATO talks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a U.S. plan to help Ukraine rapidly procure transformers, circuit breakers and other hardware to repair the electrical grid ahead of winter, following weeks of missile and drone attacks.
The Biden administration said Wednesday that it was concerned about the well-being of Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia whose release U.S. officials have been working to secure, probably as part of a prisoner swap. Whelan had missed a scheduled call home. “Our embassy in Moscow has been working to understand exactly Paul’s condition and why his family hasn’t heard from him,” John Kirby, a National Security Council spokesman, told reporters.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
4. From our correspondents
And with Russia weakened, writes Robyn Dixon, Europe has been wooing Central Asian nations, in particular Kazakhstan, as an alternative energy source to replace Russian hydrocarbons.
Source: WP
