US pushes NATO allies to dismantle ICC, withdraw from founding treaty - Politico

The US has launched a diplomatic push pressing its NATO allies to help dismantle the International Criminal Court (ICC) and withdraw from its founding Rome Statute, Politico reported on Thursday.

At a closed-door meeting in Brussels in mid-July, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker urged member states to abandon the tribunal and immediately halt all material assistance.

"The United States will systematically dismantle the capabilities of the ICC … we firmly request that you immediately take steps to withdraw," the US Mission to NATO wrote in a diplomatic paper. "Let us end the charade of the ICC once and for all."

Whitaker warned allied nations that Washington "will be watching closely who stands with America," while American envoys simultaneously raised the matter during bilateral discussions with European counterparts.