France to help ICC with investigations into massacres blamed on Russian forces in Ukraine

After a meeting between President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, the Elysée Palace has announced that France will offer financial and human resources to support investigations into the alleged massacre of civilians by Russian troops in Ukraine.

A mass grave with bodies of civilians was found in Bucha, in Kyiv region, Ukraine on 4 April, 2022. © Reuters/Vladyslav Musiienko

Referring to "the shock and emotion caused in France by the images of the crimes committed in Boutcha and other places", Emmanuel Macron underlined "France's readiness to support international justice and contribute to the work of investigating and documenting the violence perpetrated against civilians and to ensure that Russia is held to account".

Paris is offering an exceptional financial contribution of 490,000 euros to the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and has confirmed the payment of its annual contribution of 13 million euros. Furthermore, it has offered to make two judges and ten gendarmes available to the ICC, the Elysée said in a statement.

It is also offering to send a technical team to Ukraine to examine evidence of the alleged crimes.

Earlier in the week, France and Germany, along with Italy, Spain and Slovenia announced the mass expulsion of Russian diplomats from their countries after the discovery this weekend of massacres northwest of Kiev, while the US and the EU are discussing new economic sanctions against Russia.

The expulsions come as Western countries expressed outrage at the discovery of dozens of bodies in civilian clothes in the streets and mass graves in Butcha, northwest of Kiev, following the Russian withdrawal from the capital.

(with AFP)