The US may forgo criminal prosecution of Russia for war crimes in Ukraine, according to The Telegraph.

EU officials are concerned that the United States may withdraw from the group of countries preparing a special tribunal for Russia over its crimes against Ukraine due to the refusal of US representatives to label Russia as an "aggressor."

This is reported by The Telegraph.

Western officials interviewed by the publication revealed that US representatives refused to call Russia an aggressor during a meeting of the "Core Group" of countries organizing a tribunal for Putin for his war crimes. This could complicate preparations for the group's final meeting next month.

"As long as they do not acknowledge that this is aggression, they cannot participate," one official stated. Losing Washington's support for the tribunal would be a significant blow to its international reputation and authority.

"This is quite a radical change," a European diplomat told The Telegraph. "Revising history and pretending that Russia is not the one who started this war is something we simply cannot and will not agree to."

Negotiations are currently underway in European capitals regarding the potential collapse of the special tribunal if the US does indeed withdraw from the process.

A diplomatic note reviewed by The Telegraph indicated that European officials were "shocked" by US statements during a series of international meetings suggesting that Russia should be invited back into the "civilized world."

Previously, media reports indicated that Washington was refusing to co-author a UN statement supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity and demanding that Russia withdraw its troops.

Moreover, Mr. Trump's administration refused to sign a planned G7 statement labeling Russia as an "aggressor" in the war against Ukraine.

The "Core Group" leads a coalition of 40 countries to establish a Special Tribunal to investigate Russia's act of aggression against Ukraine, modeled after the response to Nazi war crimes after World War II. It was expected that the US and other nations would grant this court jurisdiction to address cases involving both the perpetrators of the crimes and those involved in their planning.

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