The Trump administration is stepping back from an international organization created to assess accountability for the invasion of Ukraine, signaling a shift in the White House’s stance that appears to favor Vladimir Putin.
The Department of Justice announced its withdrawal from the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA), just two years after the Biden administration committed to the center in an effort to hold Putin, the president of Russia, accountable for the 2022 invasion and the subsequent actions of Russian forces.
The justice department is expected to make a formal announcement later on Monday.
The ICPA was established to ensure that Russian leaders, along with their allies in Belarus, North Korea, and Iran, are held accountable for crimes classified as aggression under international law related to the attack and its support.
In November 2023, Merrick Garland, the US attorney general under Joe Biden, announced a $1 million contribution to the Hague-based organization, making the US the only non-European country to send a prosecutor to the center’s investigation, joining forces with prosecutors from Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic states, Romania, and the international criminal court.
“The United States stands firm in its unwavering support for the people of Ukraine as they protect their democracy against the brutal and unjust war launched by the Russian regime,” Garland stated at that time.
On Monday, the New York Times reported on an internal communication from the group’s parent organization, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust).
“The US authorities have indicated that they will be concluding their involvement in the ICPA,” wrote Michael Schmid, president of Eurojust.
He noted that the center’s operations would proceed without US participation, affirming the group’s “full commitment” to holding accountable those responsible for significant international crimes.
This decision comes amid rising tensions between Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, coinciding with Washington’s efforts to negotiate an end to the three-year conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Following Trump’s public reprimand of Zelenskyy at the White House, the US suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, although these supports were later reinstated after Kyiv aligned itself with American calls for a ceasefire.
Previously, Trump referred to Zelenskyy as “a dictator without elections,” wrongly accused him of provoking the invasion, and claimed that Putin was inclined to end the war – despite the lack of any agreement from the Russian leader for a ceasefire.
The justice department also announced it would be scaling back the efforts of its war crimes accountability team, which was established by Garland in 2022 to address atrocities committed by Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Garland had stated then that “there is no hiding place for war criminals,” pledging that the department would “explore every avenue of accountability for those committing war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine.”
The unit provided logistical support, training, and direct assistance to overwhelmed Ukrainian prosecutors, who are currently investigating over 150,000 potential war crimes, including the summary execution of prisoners, targeted bombing of civilians, and acts of torture.
