Munich Security Conference focuses on Putin's war against Ukraine, protecting world order – Conference Chairman

MUNICH. Feb 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The world community must protect the principles on which the world order is based and which Russia and its President Vladimir Putin questioned by attacking Ukraine, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in 2023 is focused on this, its Chairman Christoph Heusgen has said.

"On the 20 February 2022, we had a glimpse of hope that Vladimir Putin would be impressed by the unity the international community demonstrated here, at the Munich Security Conference. We all know what happened. Putin committed breach of civilization: it is the first time since World War II, that in Europe one country denied the right of existence of another country and started the war," he said, opening the conference session on Friday and anticipating the speech of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Heusgen said the aggression a year later led to 14 million displaced people, tens of thousands of people have been killed and wounded. He asked the conference participants to visit the exhibition “Ukraine is You” about Russian war crimes, which was organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and the President’s Office of Ukraine on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The MSC chairman said Ukraine is not the only place where people suffer in the world today. He also named Myanmar, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Ethiopia, Haiti.

Heusgen said it is necessary to ensure accountability and punishment for the crime, strengthen the powers of the International Criminal Court and resolve the issue of jurisdiction over the crime of aggression.

“We witness in Ukraine not a battle between East and West, NATO and Russia, of EU and Russia, but we witness a battle between the rule of law and law of the strongest,” the MSC chairman said.

Heusgen said Putin’s fault is also that developed countries are forced to send billions of dollars to armaments instead of using them to solve climate and environmental problems – the biggest threats facing humanity.

According to him, it is necessary to protect the world order not only by strengthening the transatlantic community, but also by attracting the “Global South” so this year’s conference will pay special attention to this.

The conference participants at one of the sessions stressed the importance of punishing Putin and the Russian leadership for the crime of aggression. President Egils Levits once again called for the speedy establishment of a special tribunal, citing the Nuremberg Tribunal as a positive example.

He was supported by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, according to whom the war in Ukraine showed the inoperability of the existing UN mechanisms. She said rules are needed that clearly define the procedure for bringing to justice for the crime of aggression. The main thing is that no leader considers himself unpunished, not only small states, Kallas said.

The representative of Liechtenstein also advocated the establishment of a special tribunal that should have the power to lift the immunity of perpetrators of such a crime, and in the future to expand the powers of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In her opinion, such an international tribunal should be established as a result of negotiations on the recommendation of the UN General Assembly.

The conference participants also called for speeding up the consideration and punishment of war crimes. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan noted that everything possible is being done to restore justice for the victims. According to him, at present, 43 states have already sent cases of Russian war crimes in Ukraine to the court, and joint teams of investigators have been created with the EU and other states.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said it is needed an infrastructure to hold accountable. According to him, the Congress will support the ICC, and Russia will see that nothing will be forgotten.