Sir, – Neither Russia nor the US accept the authority of the International Criminal Court (ICC). China and India share the same view. The ICC might, therefore, seem irrelevant, particularly when you consider the numbers killed in the Iraq wars and the attack on Libya. However, war was initially declared on both of those countries by the US-led Nato forces which legitimised their enactment, regardless of opposition.
In the case of Ukraine, Mr Putin did not declare war and calls his fellow countrymen’s attack on civilians, infrastructure, etc, a “military exercise”. Therefore, the deaths and damage inflicted on Ukraine is an act of unmitigated state terrorism on a previously unimaginable scale. By acting outside the boundaries of agreed protocols in the processing of a desired “war”, Vladimir Putin has denied the Russian state any fig-leaf that would legitimise its actions. – Yours, etc,
EUGENE TANNAM,
Firhouse,
Dublin 24.
Sir, – While Joe Biden must be praised for joining the outcry that the dreadful Mr Putin be held accountable for Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine, it must be remembered that the US itself does not recognise the International Criminal Court. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN QUIGLEY,
Bettystown,
Co Meath.