THE HAGUE, Oct 1 (Zark News) — German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the International Criminal Court on Monday in a high-profile show of support for the embattled tribunal, which President Donald Trump has called a “rogue institution,” the Associated Press reported.
“The German government completely supports the court,” Wadephul said in The Hague shortly before the visit, adding that Berlin is seeking to “enable the court to be workable.” Wadephul called German backing for the ICC part of the country’s “historic responsibility,” pointing to Germany’s Nazi past, in which he noted the judiciary was controlled by Adolf Hitler’s regime, according to European press coverage of the visit.
The Trump administration has sanctioned 13 of the court’s staff members, including key prosecutors and nine judges — among them 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 AP reported. Last week, Trump called on the international community to withdraw en masse from the ICC in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly.
Dutch officials have been warned that sanctions on the entire court are imminent and are weighing ways to help the tribunal keep operating — paying staff, protecting witnesses and maintaining the detention facility — diplomats told the AP on condition of anonymity. Sanctions could block the court from financial and IT services and even prevent it from paying U.S. 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.
Berlin is “working together with other states on preserving its ability to function,” Wadephul said, with the court counting 125 member states. One possible mitigation is the EU “blocking statute,” which could shield European court staff by preventing European companies from complying with U.S. measures, the AP reported. Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen has suggested the same route, and Ireland has urged the European Commission to act.
The U.S. sanctions stem largely from the court’s scrutiny of the Gaza war, including arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and earlier friction over U.S. military actions in Afghanistan, according to the AP. Neither the United States, Israel, Russia nor China is a member of the 125-state court.
Sources: Associated Press