NATO "Designates Russia as a Terrorist State, Urges Establishment of Special War Crimes Tribunal"

Long-term Military Support Promise to Ukraine
NATO Secretary-General: "Need to Reduce Dependence on China"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has designated Russia as a terrorist state and called for the establishment of a special international tribunal to judge various war crimes committed during the invasion of Ukraine. This move is interpreted as an effort to strengthen unity among NATO member countries while emphasizing continued military support for Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned about the situation of the war in Ukraine and stressed the need to reduce supply chain dependence on China.

According to the Associated Press on the 21st (local time), at the 68th annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) held in Madrid, Spain, NATO member countries agreed to designate Russia as a terrorist state and to call for the creation of a special international tribunal to judge Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This issue was previously proposed to NATO by Ukraine. Yehor Chernev, a Ukrainian representative attending the NATO Parliamentary Assembly session, stated in a press release that "All NATO member countries supported our proposal," and emphasized that "the special international tribunal will enable the conviction not only of the direct perpetrators of war crimes but also of the senior leadership of Russia."

At this NATO Parliamentary Assembly session, NATO member countries reaffirmed their commitment to long-term and continuous financial and military support for Ukraine and also discussed future methods for collecting war reparations from Russia.

Alongside discussions on the Ukraine war, calls were made to reduce dependence on China. Secretary General Stoltenberg said in his speech at the session, "We must be especially careful not to create new dependencies on China," adding, "We are witnessing increased efforts by China to control our critical infrastructure, supply chains, and key industrial sectors. Chinese rare earth minerals are present in everything from our mobile phones and cars to military equipment."

He continued, "While we will continue trading with China, we must be cautious of vulnerabilities that may arise from dependencies on certain materials," emphasizing, "We must not allow authoritarian regimes to exploit our vulnerabilities and weaken us."