ICC Prosecutor Visits Ukraine, Meets Online with Zelensky

International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan has visited Ukraine where he held a video call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, the court announced on Wednesday.

The pair met virtually, the Hague-based court tweeted. "We agreed all efforts are needed to ensure international humanitarian law is respected and to protect the civilian population," Khan said.

Khan on Friday urged parties to Ukraine's conflict not to use heavy, high-explosive weapons in populated areas as the Russian military continued its bombardments of homes and civilian infrastructure.

The prosecutor opened an investigation into the situation in Ukraine on March 3, after getting the green light from more than 40 ICC states parties.

Based in The Hague, the ICC opened its doors in 2002 to try individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of aggression in some cases.

Ukraine has not signed the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding treaty, but in 2014 it formally recognised the court's jurisdiction over crimes committed on its territory.

Moscow withdrew its signature from the Rome Statute in 2016, which means that the ICC will only be able to prosecute Russians if they are arrested on the territory of a state that respects its jurisdiction.