Russia’s aggression in Ukraine continues to prompt outrage in the international community, but finding a way to hold President Vladimir Putin accountable has proved incredibly challenging.
International law has many levers to bring accused war criminals to heel, with the most conventional being the International Criminal Court (ICC), an opt-in establishment that is created and governed by the Rome Statute, a treaty that 123 countries are party to.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine are party to the Rome Statute, though, which complicates efforts to prosecute Putin and any accomplices. The most common way to prosecute a non-member is through a UN Security Council referral, but that’s fruitless here: Russia, as a Security Council permanent member, wields veto power.
