Germany Defends International Criminal Court Against US Sanctions

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is traveling to the Netherlands today, Monday, amidst American pressure on the International Criminal Court.

The minister is scheduled to meet his Dutch counterpart Tom Berendsen at the government headquarters in The Hague for talks on joint efforts for a modern and targeted European Union budget, close military cooperation, and support for Ukraine.

In the framework of negotiations regarding the EU budget, which exceeds one trillion euros, member states are seeking to agree - as much as possible by the end of the year - on a financial framework for the period from 2028 to 2034.

The European Commission proposes allocating approximately 1.76 trillion euros to various EU projects, after accounting for inflation and at 2025 prices. In contrast, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calls for cutting the budget by hundreds of billions of euros and has formed an alliance with Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands to counter the Commission's proposals.

In The Hague, Wadephul also intends to meet with the President of the International Criminal Court, Tomoko Akane, and Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan. The ICC has been pursuing the most serious crimes since 2022, such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

The US government announced sanctions against Akane, justifying this by stating that she repeatedly participated in investigations against officials or in the arrest of officials whose governments did not consent to the jurisdiction of the ICC.

Last week during UN meetings, US President Donald Trump called on the international community to collectively withdraw from the International Criminal Court.

Source: dpa