It’s hard to settle disputes when one side doesn’t show up.
Such was the case Monday when Russia failed to appear before the World Court to defend charges it has falsely accused Ukraine of committing genocide against its own people.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin has used the claim to justify invading Ukraine with the hope of seizing it, lock, stock and barrel.
After Adolf Hitler’s campaign murdered more than 6 million Jews in World War II, genocide was declared a humanitarian crime by the United Nations’ high court.
Russia has not a shred of evidence that Ukraine has committed such a crime against Russian separatists in the Donbas and Donetsk regions.
If anything, Russia is the guilty party in its unjustified attacks against Ukraine, in its 12th day on Monday. Video clips show Ukrainian civilians being killed in the streets as Russia continues to violate agreed-upon evacuation routes for residents.
One such instance was when a Russian mortar killed a mother, her two children and a family friend in their attempt to flee the embattled city of Irpin on Sunday. The children were wearing their backpacks. A blue suitcase on wheels lay across the chest of another.
The video is bone-chilling as the smoke clears to reveal their bodies.
Ukraine’s goal with the appeal to the World Court is for it to insist Russia stop its invasion. Unfortunately, the 15 judges who sit on the International Court of Justice, nor the 193 countries they represent, will likely have much influence on Putin.
MORE THAN 1.7 million Ukrainians have fled their country in the last two weeks. More than 1 million have gone to Poland, with another 180,000 to Hungary, 128,000 to Moldova and lesser amounts to Romania and Slovakia, all of which border Ukraine. In the early days of the war, about 50,000 left for Russia.
On Monday, Russia said it would approve a cease fire for humanitarian corridors only to Russia and its ally, Belarus.
Ukraine, naturally, regarded sending its people into the jaws of death as unacceptable.
As should the world.
We realize Western nations are treading a fine line in their desire to help Ukraine defeat Putin without inciting more widespread conflict.
We wish them godspeed.
