Ahead of the meeting between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richard in Anchorage, Alaska, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:

“We urge President Trump to put human rights and matters of justice at its forefront. He has repeatedly expressed his desire to end the war in Ukraine and his regret for people dying; this is his real chance to do something for the victims and survivors. Upholding human rights and ensuring accountability for crimes under international law committed in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian intervention in 2014 is the only way to bring a just and lasting end to the war.

“Vladimir Putin and several other top Russian officials are fugitives from international justice after their indictment by the International Criminal Court and President Trump must take concrete steps to bring the suspected perpetrators of these violations to justice. There must be no ‘safe haven’ for individuals alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“President Trump must also raise the issue of torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearance, and unlawful prosecution and trials of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia. More steps need to be taken urgently to ensure that all gravely wounded or sick prisoners of war are repatriated or transferred to third countries. Likewise, all Ukrainian civilians detained and sentenced on fabricated charges in Russia or Russian-occupied territories must be released immediately - as must all individuals in Russia imprisoned for opposing the war.

“Amnesty continues to call for a peace framework to address the urgent needs of those most affected by the conflict – from providing sustained aid to vulnerable groups, including children and older people, and robust support for refugees and displaced people, to ensuring the safe return of communities through large-scale clearance of landmines and other explosive remnants of war. For his peace efforts to be successful in the long run, President Trump should follow up on this meeting by working with the US Congress and international partners to address these critical needs, including through the provision of adequate funding.”

Crimes under international law

Amnesty has documented numerous human rights violations and crimes under international law that have been committed in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian aggression. These have included direct attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, indiscriminate attacks, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, torture, unlawful deprivation of liberty, forcible transfer and deportation of civilians, and torture and other ill-treatment of civilians and prisoners of war. While a possible ceasefire is being discussed, President Trump must use the opportunity to help secure an immediate end to these egregious violations and also demand the unconditional return of all children abducted from Ukraine during the war.