US senators accuse Pentagon of hindering war crimes prosecution of Russia

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testifies before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on President Biden's proposed budget request for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers accused the Pentagon on Thursday of effectively undermining war crimes prosecution of Russia by blocking the sharing of U.S. military intelligence with the International Criminal Court at the Hague.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat, said at Senate hearing that he had been told by the ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, that the U.S. State Department and Justice Department were both cooperating. But the Defense Department, under the leadership of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, was refusing, Durbin added.