Russian war criminals will not get away from being punished – a representative of the Brookings Institution

Crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the Russians will certainly be punished, and the perpetrators will not be able to escape criminal responsibility, because all these crimes are broadcast virtually in real time.

Constanze Stelzenmüller, Director of the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings Institution, voiced this opinion at the 15^th annual Kyiv Security Forum, established by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s “Open Ukraine” Foundation.

"I have no doubt that there will be an international tribunal for the crime of aggression, crimes against humanity and war crimes,” she said.

According to Ms Stelzenmüller, Western countries should resist and counteract authoritarian forces in their own countries.

“We have populist parties seeking to undermine and destroy pluralistic system of power distribution and constitutional system. I see it in Germany, in the US, in Great Britain, and in many other countries. We must oppose this tendency so that authoritarianism fails to rise in our own countries. Only then will we be able to properly assist Ukraine,” Ms Stelzenmüller said.

She noted that joining the European Union and NATO is impossible without a functioning pluralistic democracy, and Germany is ready to assist Ukraine along this path.

Noteworthy, the 15^th annual Kyiv security forum “For Our and Your Freedom/ Fighting for NATO” will be held on May 25-26, 2023, with the participation of well-known international figures. In particular, at the Forum, the KSF Security Council will be established and a policy document will be adopted with recommendations for the NATO summit in Vilnius to be held this July.