UN court rejects Ukraine's case against Russia

By Handan Kazanci

ISTANBUL

The International Court of Justice on Wednesday rejected a bid by Ukraine to cut Russian funding for “illegal armed groups” in the country’s conflict-hit east.

Describing the case presented before it as “limited in scope”, the UN court said in a statement on its website that it expected both sides to work towards the “full implementation” of the Minsk peace agreements.

The case, which Ukraine submitted in January, centered on allegations that Russia had sponsored terrorism by providing funds and weapons to militants in the eastern Donbass region.

It also accused Moscow of discriminating against Tatars and other minorities in Crimea.

Lawyers for Russia rejected the claims.

However, the court said Russia must abide by international agreements on racial discrimination in Crimea.

The judgment was a preliminary ruling as the full case is processed by the court.

“Both parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the court or make it more difficult to resolve,” the court said.

Eastern Ukraine has been wracked by conflict since March 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Fighting between government forces and pro-Russia separatists has seen around 10,000 people killed, according to the UN.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May in London.

In a statement following their meeting, the British government said it would continue to support Ukraine against any threat posed by Russia.

“The prime minister was clear that the U.K. recognises the threat posed by Russia through the illegal annexation of Crimea and the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine and noted that the U.K. continues to offer support to counter this threat,” it said.

The government added that the leaders “agreed on the importance of maintaining sanctions [against Russia] until the Minsk agreement is fully implemented”.

* Ahmet Gurhan Kartal in London contributed to this report.