Mr. President,

The Kingdom of the Netherlands aligns itself with the EU statement.

The Netherlands remains deeply concerned about the situation in Autonomous Temporarily Occupied Crimea. The ongoing illegal Russian invasion has only increased our concern.
We receive reports about people in Crimea being forcibly drafted to the Russian army.
Reports about Russia using Crimea as a location for forced displacement and unlawful detention.
Reports about detainees being tortured in Crimea.
And reports about Ukrainian grain being stolen through Crimea.

Russia is acting in violation of the fundamental principles of international law and international humanitarian law. The actions of the Russian leadership and its army will remain a stain on humanity. We strongly urge Russia to abide by its obligations, including the provisional measure rendered by the ICJ in March.

There is a clear need for accountability and justice. We welcome and support the decision of the Prosecutor of the ICC to open an investigation.

We will also host an Accountability Conference on July 14th to assist in this effort, together with the ICC and European Commission, and with the participation of the Ukrainian authorities and input from civil society.

The Netherlands strongly supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and we will continue to support Ukraine with humanitarian, military, and financial support.

Thank you.