United States Attorney General Merrick Garland made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Friday to attend a conference focused on justice and war crimes, according to a Justice Department official. Garland traveled to Lviv in western Ukraine at the invitation of his Ukrainian counterpart to participate in the “United for Justice Conference.” During his visit, the attorney general held several meetings and reaffirmed the United States’ determination to hold Russia accountable for the crimes committed during its unjust and unprovoked invasion of its sovereign neighbor.
This visit marks Garland’s second trip to Ukraine since the conflict began in February 2022. For security reasons, the visit was not announced in advance. It comes nearly two weeks after U.S. President Joe Biden visited Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The United States is actively assisting Ukraine in investigating war crimes, and Garland recently labeled Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s mercenary Wagner military force, as a war criminal.
In a statement issued on February 24 to commemorate the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, Garland emphasized that his department stands with Ukrainian partners in their pursuit of justice. He noted that American prosecutors are collaborating more closely than ever with Ukrainian counterparts to investigate specific crimes committed by Russian forces, including attacks on civilian targets. Additionally, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris accused Russia last month of committing “crimes against humanity” in Ukraine, highlighting the widespread and systemic attacks on the civilian population carried out by Moscow’s forces.
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