The United States said on Tuesday that it favors the creation of a special tribunal to consider the case of Russian “aggression” in Ukraine, which “will have many roots in the Ukrainian judicial system”, according to AFP.

“The United States supports the creation of a special tribunal to consider crimes of aggression against Ukraine in the form of an international tribunal, which would be rooted in the Ukrainian judicial system and would include international elements,” said the spokesperson of the US State Department.

The official said Washington wanted “significant international support, including from our European partners,” and that the tribunal “would ideally be located in another European country.”

This is the first time that the United States, traditionally recalcitrant to international justice, has directly announced the creation of such a tribunal to consider crimes committed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, an idea supported by the Europeans, who have mentioned the creation of such a court since last November year

The announcement came days after the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war crime of “deporting” Ukrainian children as part of Moscow’s offensive against Ukraine.

However, Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.

The ICC has jurisdiction only over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine, not over the “crime of aggression” committed by the Russian leadership.

On Monday, Beth Van Schaak, the US representative for international justice, said the US wanted the tribunal to be funded and staffed internationally.

“We believe that such a court, internationalized but rooted in the Ukrainian judicial system (…) will provide the best chance” for justice, she said in her speech.