About how the Ukrainian diaspora influences the policy of major countries and international organizations in order to support Ukraine, what resources it attracts to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine and how it will help build Ukraine after victory – in the interview with the President of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) Paul Grod. – You called on the UN and world leaders to establish a war crimes tribunal to hold Russia accountable, as well as to deprive it of veto right in the UN Security Council during the 77th UN General Assembly. What is the probability that these calls will be implemented? – Our appeals must be ambitious and correct, but at the same time realistic. The Ukrainian World Congress believes that the creation of an International Tribunal in the case of Russian war crimes is necessary, real and possible. This is an ambitious task because it is necessary to gather the vast majority of UN members. We see that during some votes in the Organization, they are positive towards Ukrainian requests, for example, to allow President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to speak virtually, but in some moments not so favorably. However, the UN has a rather serious coalition that supports Ukraine. And the best option is to create such a tribunal there. There are other options, but we will focus on the UN first. The International Criminal Court could also undertake (and wants to undertake) such a mission. But it has limited jurisdiction, so this is not the best option for Ukraine. Regarding Russia’s veto, it is also very important, especially in the context of the overall effectiveness of the UN Security Council. We understand Russia’s game: it is trying to dissolve these issues, and it wants to include other countries in the Security Council. But we will promote our demands, this is our priority. It is very important to create this international tribunal, as well as the International Criminal Court works. They should work in parallel because they will have two separate mandates and, accordingly, more opportunities. – And what opportunities does the UWC has to influence governments and international organizations? – Politics is the influence of civil society on political affairs because politicians are elected. And it is very important that politicians who want to be elected consider their voters. Therefore, we are trying to form a...
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