Germany backs ICC as Trump steps up sanctions threat

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the ICC to reaffirm Berlin's support. The visit highlights growing European efforts to shield the court from mounting US pressure.

In Short

• Johann Wadephul visited The Hague court to signal Germany's firm backing
• Berlin is coordinating with partners to keep the tribunal functioning
• US sanctions already target prosecutors, judges and other ICC officials

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the International Criminal Court on Monday in a high-profile show of support for the tribunal, which US President Donald Trump has called a "rogue institution". Wadephul said Berlin "completely supports the court" and is trying to "enable the court to be workable" as it faces mounting pressure from Washington.

The visit came as the Trump administration stepped up its campaign against the court. The US has already sanctioned 13 ICC staff members, including key prosecutors and nine judges, among them the court's Japanese President Tomoko Akane. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the move as a "sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court."

Earlier on Monday, Wadephul said Berlin is "working together with other states on preserving its ability to function". The court currently has 125 member states. In the Netherlands, which hosts the court, officials have been warned that sanctions on the entire ICC could be imminent. Diplomatic and government officials familiar with the briefings told The Associated Press last week that Dutch authorities are examining ways to help the tribunal continue operating, including paying staff, protecting witnesses and maintaining the detention facility.

Sanctions could block the court's access to financial and IT services and could even affect its ability to pay US employees. When the court's former chief prosecutor was sanctioned in 2025, he lost access to his Microsoft email, his bank accounts were frozen and he was barred from entering the United States.

One option being considered is the EU "blocking statute", which could be used to protect European court staff by preventing European companies from complying with US sanctions. It remains unclear, however, whether the measure would also protect the ICC itself because it is an international body rather than a European one. EU citizens are entitled to a basic bank account, but that does not include access to credit cards or US payment facilities.

Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen called the blocking statute the "nuclear option" against possible sanctions, but said the Netherlands had been speaking to the European Commission so it could be enacted quickly if needed. "We are ready for that, the commission is ready for that," he said at a joint news conference with Wadephul. Berendsen also said he was in talks with the United States in an effort to prevent any further sanctions.

In a speech to the UN General Assembly last week, Trump urged ICC member states to leave the court. Days later, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten used the same platform to defend it, saying: "I believe there can be only one response. To say: hands off the ICC, and all those other institutions that protect the international legal order."

The ICC was set up in The Hague in 2002 as a court of last resort to prosecute individuals accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. It takes up cases when countries are unable or unwilling to prosecute crimes committed on their territory. The US and Israel strongly object to the court's arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over the war in Gaza. Washington has also opposed ICC investigations into US military actions in Afghanistan. Like Russia, China, India and Israel, the United States has never joined the court, saying it fears politically motivated prosecutions of its military.

Wadephul said Germany's backing for the court was rooted in principle and history. "Germany knows from its own history where it leads when state power flouts the law and humanity. So supporting the ICC is not a purely foreign policy question for Germany. It is also part of our historic responsibility," he said before leaving for The Hague. His visit underlined Germany's support for the ICC at a time when the court is preparing for the possibility of wider US sanctions.

With PTI Inputs

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