a year after the “crimes” of Boutcha, “no war crime or crime against humanity must be forgotten”, says Emmanuel Macron

“No abuse, no violation of international law, no war crime or crime against humanity must be forgotten. For there is no peace without justice”, declares Emmanuel Macron, Friday March 31 in a video message broadcast during a summit in Kiev on the crimes of Boutcha, and published on the site of the Elysée on the occasion of the first anniversary of the resumption of this locality by the forces Ukrainians. On this occasion, “the terrible anniversary of the discovery of the crimes committed by the Russian army in Boutcha, Irpin, Borodyanka, and in many other Ukrainian towns liberated from Russian occupation” is commemorated.

“France does not forget and will not forget Boutcha, just as it will not forget the crimes committed on a large scale on Ukrainian territory for more than a year, in Izium, in Mariupol, in Olenivka, in all these cities country whose civilian infrastructure has been methodically targeted by Russia all winter,” adds the President of the Republic. “Each week that passes brings us its share of atrocities”he points.

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He recalls “commitment” of France alongside Ukraine. It translates in particular “through support for international jurisdictions, starting with the International Criminal Court [CPI]” who issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for war crimes during the Russian invasion. “We will continue to bring him [à la CPI] determined support in human, material and financial terms, and we will also continue to have close cooperation with Ukraine and several international partners in order to reflect on the establishment of a mechanism to judge the crime of aggression “he said.

According to the Head of State, “we must equip ourselves with a body that has sufficient international legitimacy, and that plays a complementary role to the international tools already in place”. About the “liberation of Ukrainian territory and the defeat of Russian aggression”they “obviously constitute the first step towards a just and lasting peace”. For this reason, “all our support is directed towards this goal”, he recalls.