Germany’s foreign minister visits the ICC, pledging full support despite Trump's sanctions

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the International Criminal Court on Monday in a high-profile show of support for the embattled global tribunal that U.S. President Donald Trump calls a “rogue institution.” The Trump administration already has slapped sanctions on 13 of the court’s staff members, among them key prosecutors and nine judges including the court’s Japanese President Tomoko Akane. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has launched what he called a “sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court.” “The German government completely supports the court,” Wadephul said in The Hague shortly before his visit, adding that Berlin is seeking to “enable the court to be workable.” Officials in the court’s host country, the Netherlands, have been warned that sanctions on the entire court are imminent and are looking at ways to help the tribunal keep operating, including paying staff, protecting witnesses and maintaining the detention facility, diplomatic and government officials with knowledge of the briefings told The Associated Press last week.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Sanctions could prevent the court from accessing financial and IT services, and even paying its U.S. 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.

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. One possible measure to mitigate sanctions is the EU “blocking statute,” which could be used to protect European court staff by preventing European companies from complying with the U.S. It’s unclear, however, whether the statute would shield the ICC itself, because it’s an international body, not a European one.

EU citizens are entitled to a basic bank account, but that doesn’t provide access to credit cards or U.S. Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen called the blocking statute the “nuclear option” in countering possible sanctions, but said the Netherlands has been in talks with the European Commission to ensure that if it is necessary it can be quickly enacted. measures.It's unclear, however, whether the statute would shield the ICC itself, because it’s an international body, not a European one.

payment facilities.Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen called the blocking statute the “nuclear option” in countering possible sanctions, but said the Netherlands has been in talks with the European Commission to ensure that if it is necessary it can be quickly enacted.“We are ready f…