International Criminal Court Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang has concluded his first official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine from 3-6 March 2026, where he met with high-level Ukrainian officials, representatives from civil society organisations working on documentation and accountability efforts, and staff at the Court's Country Office.
The visit was an important part of the ICC Office of the Prosecutor's efforts to pursue its ongoing activities in the situation in Ukraine, and to further deepen its strong cooperation and collaboration with Ukraine and other partners relevant to the mandate of the Office. This visit underlines the Office's continuous commitment to deliver justice and accountability for communities impacted by Rome Statute crimes.
The Deputy Prosecutor held a number of high-level meetings during his visit, including with:
- Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine;
- Iryna Mudra, Deputy Head, Office of the President of Ukraine;
- Liudmyla Suhak, Acting Minister of Justice of Ukraine;
- Yevhen Pikalov, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine;
- Andrii Leshchenko, Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine;
- Matthias Schmale, UN Resident Coordinator for Ukraine;
- Civil society organisations engaged in cooperation with the Office in the Ukraine situation.
These meetings represented a crucial moment to build on Ukraine's landmark ratification of the Rome Statute, which entered into force in January of last year. Deputy Prosecutor Niang welcomed the constructive and dynamic dialogue between the Office and Ukrainian authorities and institutions in the pursuit of justice, and encouraged the increasing efforts and initiatives aimed at strengthening this cooperation. Discussions included exploration of new avenues of interest for the independent mandate of the Office, supporting efficiency of its ongoing investigations. He stated:
"In speaking with Ukrainian authorities, I underlined my recognition not just of their resilience in the particular difficult time this country is facing, but also of their clear commitment to place justice at the centre of their response to crisis, in the face of so many alleged atrocities and their severe consequences. The ratification of the Rome Statute by Ukraine amidst full-scale conflict, coupled with the good cooperation the Office is receiving from the Ukrainian authorities, are testament to a clear and strong commitment to meaningfully address the experiences of affected communities through justice and accountability. As an independent body, our Office will continue its focused investigations in this situation, while reiterating our resolve to deepen our positive cooperation with all relevant actors and institutions in the pursuit of justice in the situation of Ukraine."
Discussions with partners emphasised that justice and accountability are foundational elements of lasting peace. The Office continues its focused investigations across three priority lines: the deportation and forced transfer of children; attacks against critical and energy infrastructure; and crimes committed in detention facilities, including torture and sexual violence.
While in Ukraine, Deputy Prosecutor Niang visited a power plant significantly impacted by recent strikes, and learned firsthand about the effect of attacks against energy infrastructure on the civilian population. He noted:
"Seeing this scale of destruction of critical infrastructure, which has been wrought at power plants and other sites we have mapped across Ukraine, underlines the relevance of our focus and the need to continue reinforcing our ongoing actions towards accountability in this situation. Those responsible for purposefully targeting civilian infrastructure with the aim of imposing suffering on civilians should face justice. We have already secured arrest warrants issued by the Court in this line of investigation. Our work will continue with resolve, including in relation to recent attacks."
Deputy Prosecutor Niang also met with representatives of civil society organisations working on the ground. The Deputy Prosecutor underlined the important role of CSOs in accomplishing the work of the Office and towards justice more broadly, in particular those engaging with the most vulnerable and those directly affected by the serious crimes under ICC jurisdiction.
"Partnership is absolutely critical to ensure justice is effectively achieved. Our cooperation with civil society and those in Ukraine is essential to deliver our mandate. Through continuous dialogue, we can ensure we effectively pursue our joint efforts to strengthen action towards accountability. These organisations are inspiring to me, both for their knowledge and technical ability and for the strength they have shown to continue work, to continue documentation even in the most challenging of circumstances."
The Office would like to express its gratitude to the Ukrainian authorities for their hospitality and the facilities provided during this official visit.
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