The European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom announce the creation of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group, ACA) to coordinate efforts to bring those responsible for the atrocities committed during Russia's war against Ukraine.

This is said in a press release issued by the EEAS on Wednesday.

It says that the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) will be “a mechanism aimed at ensuring efficient coordination of their respective support to accountability efforts on the ground." "The ACA will reinforce current EU, US and UK efforts to further accountability for atrocity crimes in the context of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. It advances commitments made by the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom to demonstrate international support and solidarity at this crucial historical moment for Ukraine," the press release reads.

The overarching mission of the ACA is to support the "War Crimes Units of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine (OPG) in its investigation and prosecution of conflict-related crimes." "The ACA seeks to streamline coordination and communication efforts to ensure best practices, avoid duplication of efforts, and encourage the expeditious deployment of financial resources and skilled personnel to respond to the needs of the OPG as the legally constituted authority in Ukraine responsible for dealing with the prosecution of war crimes on its own territory, " the message reads.

Commenting on the creation of the ACA, EU High Representative Josep Borrell said “It is critical to ensure that all those responsible for the terrible atrocities committed during the unprovoked Russian military aggression in Ukraine are brought to justice. There can be no impunity for war crimes." Borrell said that the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group will be providing advice and supporting the ongoing efforts of Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s War Crimes Units to collect, preserve, and analyze evidence of atrocities to help the investigations and ensure justice takes its course.

In turn, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that this initiative "will directly support efforts by the Ukrainian Office of the Prosecutor General to document, preserve, and analyze evidence of war crimes and other atrocities committed by members of Russia’s forces in Ukraine." "The ACA is an essential element of the United States’ commitment that those responsible for such crimes will be held to account, " he stressed.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also said that the parties "are determined to ensure those responsible for the vile atrocities committed in Ukraine are held to account." "The UK has already made a clear commitment to supporting Ukraine in its investigations, including through deploying war crimes experts to the region and releasing additional funding to aid the ICC in their investigations. We are now stepping up our efforts through this landmark initiative with our partners in the US and EU. Justice will be done,” Truss is convinced.