During his visit to Lviv Oblast on March 3, President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US Attorney General Merrick Garland and other prosecutors from allied states and international institutions to discuss prosecuting Russian war crimes, the president's office reported.
In addition to Garland, the meeting also included U.S. Ambassador for Global Criminal Justice Beth van Schaack, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan, Head of the EU Prosecutor's Office Laura Kovesi, Spanish Attorney General Alvaro Garcia Ortiz, UK Attorney General Victoria Prentis, among others.
Emphasizing the importance of holding Russian war criminals accountable for their crimes, Zelensky spoke about the message it would convey not just to Ukrainians, but to the entire world, about the triumph of justice. It would also serve as a warning to any potential aggressors that such actions would not be tolerated in the future.
"That's why we need justice, we need a tribunal to see all guilty people behind bars," Zelensky said.
On Feb. 28, Zelensky met with Khan in Kyiv to discuss the ICC's investigation into Russian war crimes and ways to expedite the repatriation process for Ukrainians who were forcibly relocated to Russia.