UN International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan said his office has joined the Joint Investigation Team to investigate international crimes committed in Ukraine.

The relevant statement was circulated by the press service of the Prosecutor's Office on Monday.

"I am pleased to confirm that today my Office has become a participant in the joint investigation team (JIT) on alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine, joining existing members Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine," Khan said.

The prosecutor said that, since taking office, he had stated that "the effective exercise of the mandate of my Office requires us to deepen cooperation and collaboration with all relevant actors." "The Ukraine situation, in particular, demands collective action so as to secure relevant evidence and ultimately ensure its effective use in criminal proceedings. In recognition of this, my Office takes a landmark step today in joining a JIT under the auspices of Eurojust for the first time," he said.

Khan said the JIT aims to facilitate investigations and prosecutions in the concerned states as well as those that could be taken forward before the International Criminal Court. "Through its participation in the JIT, my Office will significantly enhance its ability to access and collect information relevant to our independent investigations. Critically, we will be able to conduct rapid and real time coordination and cooperation with the JIT partner countries," the ICC prosecutor said.

In addition, Khan said the Office's participation in the JIT would not be a "one-way street." "We do not wish to only be the recipients of information and evidence. We also want to serve as an effective partner with respect to the conduct of domestic proceedings in relation to core international crimes, in line with the principle of complementarity," he said.

In addition, the prosecutor expressed his gratitude to the prosecutors general of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, who joined him today at the signing ceremony, which marked the beginning of cooperation in the JIT. "I would also wish to recognize the strong support of Eurojust in facilitating this important step. Looking ahead, I will continue to seek to deepen our engagement with all actors in relation to the Ukraine situation, in a manner consistent with my mandate as Prosecutor," Khan said.