European Leaders Rally Behind ICC as Trump Pushes for Withdrawals

European leaders have united in defense of the International Criminal Court (ICC), rejecting US President Donald Trump’s demand that nations immediately withdraw from the organization. The pushback came during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where Trump had urged member states to resign from what he termed a “rogue institution.”

Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin declared Ireland’s strong opposition to any efforts to undermine the court. Referencing the conflict in Ukraine, Martin emphasized that Russia must face accountability for war crimes, stating, “There can be no impunity.” He called for all measures targeting the ICC to be withdrawn immediately, affirming Ireland’s status as a steadfast supporter of the intergovernmental body.

Earlier in the day, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten offered a similar rebuke to the American stance. Speaking without directly naming Trump or the United States, Jetten highlighted that the court has faced sustained attacks and questioned how anyone could oppose prosecuting the “very worst crimes.” He urged delegates to respond with a unified message: “Hands off” the ICC and the international legal order it protects. His remarks drew applause from the assembly.

Trump’s 45-minute address at the U.N. on Tuesday marked the culmination of a prolonged campaign against the court. He asserted that the United States would never allow its service members or citizens to be investigated or subjected to show trials by an “anti-American tribunal” claiming jurisdiction over them. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul swiftly dismissed the president’s call, telling Deutschlandfunk radio that Germany would not withdraw. He described the ICC as an important institution and acknowledged a “regrettable difference in policy” between Berlin and Washington.

European Council President Antonio Costa also reaffirmed the European Union’s firm backing of the court, calling it “unacceptable to threaten or attack the International Criminal Court, its officials, and its staff.”

The ICC, based in The Hague, derives its authority from the Rome Statute, a treaty that entered into force in 2002 and has been ratified by 125 countries. Neither the United States nor Israel is a party to the statute, meaning they do not recognize the court’s jurisdiction over their nationals. Trump has long complained that the ICC oversteps its authority, particularly regarding investigations into American actions overseas.

While most of Europe resisted Trump’s appeal, Nauru, a small island nation recently renamed Naoero, announced its intention to leave. President David Adeang cited the court’s “increasing irrelevance,” and US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre welcomed the move as part of a growing stance defending national sovereignty against what he called “illegitimate overreach.”

Experts note that leaving the ICC is neither instantaneous nor clean. Sergey Vasiliev, a professor of international law at the Open University Netherlands, explained that withdrawal takes at least one year from the date of notification. During that period, states remain obligated to cooperate with proceedings initiated while they were members.

In addition to Naoero, five other nations—Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Venezuela, and Chad—have moved to withdraw. Vasiliev described these departures as a “serious loss” but argued they are not “lethal to the existence of the ICC.” Meanwhile, Hungary formally attempted to withdraw under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán last year, but his successor, Péter Magyar, reversed the decision, signaling a renewed commitment to the court.

Trump’s opposition to the ICC dates back to his first term. In 2017, he challenged the court’s authority over US personnel in Afghanistan, and in 2018, he vowed never to surrender American sovereignty to a “global bureaucracy.” In 2020, he signed an executive order imposing sanctions on ICC personnel in response to the Afghanistan probe, though those sanctions were revoked by President Joe Biden in 2021.

Recent tensions have focused on the court’s investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza. In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. After returning to office in early 2025, Trump declared a national emergency and imposed new sanctions on the court. In July, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a “whole-of-government” effort to disable the ICC’s operations, followed by sanctions against ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane and prosecutor Abdoulaye Seye. The court condemned these sanctions as a “flagrant attack” on its judicial independence.