Trump called on all countries to withdraw from the International Criminal Court

Trump Called on All Nations to Withdraw from the International Criminal Court

US President Donald Trump, speaking on September 22 at the UN General Assembly session in New York, urged all member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to leave the organization.

Trump described the court as an "out-of-control institution" and a "group of people doing mischief." He also stated that US military personnel would not be allowed to answer before a "show tribunal against America."

"I call on all countries that are members of the ICC to immediately and officially terminate their membership in this out-of-control institution," Trump said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on August 18 that the US had imposed sanctions against ICC President Tomoko Akane and Senior Prosecutor Abu Al-Hassan.

Blinken said these individuals were directly involved in the ICC's efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials of states that do not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction.

The US, along with Russia and Israel, has previously imposed sanctions against several representatives of the ICC. These measures prohibit them from entering the US and conducting transactions through the American financial system.

The US accused the Hague court of creating an "unacceptable threat to sovereignty."

In his speech at the UN General Assembly, the US President also touched upon the issue of the war in Ukraine, expressing hope for a swift end to the conflict.

The US is working closely with the leadership of Russia and Ukraine in this regard. "This conflict will be resolved much faster than most people think," said Trump, who promised to stop the war if he returned to the presidency.

Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has been ongoing since February 2022. Donald Trump's previous statements about a swift resolution to the conflict have yielded no results so far. The US President expressed readiness to increase pressure on Moscow. At the same time, he recalled the recently adopted Lindsey Graham bill, noting that this document would allow him to expand sanctions against Russia.

"If necessary, I will deploy these sanctions," Trump promised.

Speaking from the podium in New York, Trump also spoke about Cuba, calling it a completely failed state.

"It (Cuba — ed.) is failing more than ever before," he said.

Not waiting for the end of the US President's speech at the UN General Assembly, the Cuban representatives demonstratively left the hall. In recent months, the US government has imposed a series of sanctions against Cuba. Following this, the energy crisis in the country intensified, and the humanitarian situation deteriorated sharply.

"Communism will never come to America. But Cuba will achieve freedom," the US leader claimed.

The US and Israel are not members of the ICC, but the Palestinian territories were admitted as a member state of this court in 2015. In 2024, the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including using starvation as a weapon of war.

In addition, in March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is suspected of illegally deporting children from Ukraine. The Kremlin called the decision of the International Criminal Court legally insignificant, explaining that Moscow does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC. Putin himself described the ICC as an organization that lacks a universal character, is not independent, and is little respected.