Baerbock says Germany has a duty to end Russian war crimes | DW News

Germany has a responsibility to prevent future wars and crimes due to its historic responsibility for "the most severe crimes in the world," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told DW on Monday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision not to extend the deal that allowed Ukraine to export its grain amid the war "shocked" every country and every United Nations delegate, Baerbock said.

She stressed the importance of applying pressure on Putin to reverse the decision, saying the best route is for "countries from Africa, Latin America, Asia, address Putin directly. We have seen in the last year that it makes a difference if also other countries in the world, not only European countries, are calling on Putin."

On the sidelines of a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Baerbock stressed: "It was and still is, our responsibility to strengthen international law in order to prevent future wars, to prevent genocide, crimes against humanity."

Germany's top diplomat acknowledged the difficulty in closing the "accountability gap" using the ICC. As many countries worldwide, including the United States, have not enacted the Rome Statute, the ICC's jurisdiction remains wanting.

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