Russia-Ukraine crisis: US welcomes ICJ order asking Russia to suspend its military operations

The US welcomed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order asking Russia to suspend its military operations in Ukraine on Wednesday (local time), State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

"We welcome the Court's order and call on the Russian Federation to comply with the order, immediately cease its military operations in Ukraine, and to establish unhindered humanitarian access in Ukraine," Price said while adding, "The United States will continue to act with our allies and partners in support of Ukraine."

Earlier, the ICJ at The Hague ruled that pending the final decision in the case, Russia must suspend the military operations that it commenced on February 24 in the territory of Ukraine. The US Press statement highlighted parts of the order including the court's acute awareness of "the extent of the human tragedy that is taking place in Ukraine" as well as the "continuing loss of life and human suffering."

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The Court also observed that it did not possess any evidence substantiating Russia's claims that genocide had been committed by Ukraine in the Donbas region, the press statement said. 

Ukraine on February 26 had applied the ICJ to initiate proceedings against the Russian Federation under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Ukraine seeks to address what it calls "Russia's groundless claims" that genocide has occurred in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts of Ukraine and establish that Russia has no lawful basis to take military action based on those "false" claims.

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Ukraine had also requested the ICJ exercise its authority to indicate provisional measures to preserve Ukraine's rights and limit the ongoing and irreparable harm to the Ukrainian people as well as Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

"By thirteen votes to two, The Russian Federation shall immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on 24 February 2022 in the territory of Ukraine," the ICJ said in its order laying out provisional measures, adding that "Both Parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more difficult to resolve."

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is scheduled to hold an extraordinary meeting today to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.