Baerbock calls for support to prosecute Russian crimes in Ukraine

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called on the international community to support efforts to prosecute Russian crimes under international law in Ukraine, rported dpa.

"There must be no impunity. This is our pledge to the victim, especially the most vulnerable victims, women, girls, but also elderly," Baerbock said Thursday at an event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Representatives from Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia and Ukraine, among others, attended the meeting, which was moderated by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

Baerbock said it was not only about fighting these crimes in Europe and Ukraine, but also in other places such as Myanmar or Ethiopia.

"We cannot tolerate rape and other forms of sexual violence, no matter where they are committed," Baerbock said.

In March, Germany's prosecutor general opened an investigation into war crimes committed by all sides in Ukraine.

Germany is also supporting the International Criminal Court's investigation into the situation in Ukraine, as well as Ukraine's case against Russia before the International Court of Justice.

Baerbock said what was crucial about these proceedings was that they targeted both state and individual responsibility for violations of international law up to the highest level of the Russian government.