The United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is set to rule on an urgent request by Ukraine for Russia to halt its invasion.

The ruling by the court would be the first such verdict handed by an international court since the war in Ukraine began on February 24.

UN highest court at The Hague will reveal its decision on Wednesday on Ukraine’s urgent proceedings against Russia.

Russia is being accused by Ukraine of violating the Genocide Convention of 1948 and is asking the court to order an immediate end to the hostilities.

The country is also asking judges to establish that there is no legal justification for the invasion, Russia boycotted the hearing on March 7.

Ukraine’s representative Anton Korynevych sought to get the ICJ to order Russia to “immediately suspend the military operations.”

“Russia must be stopped, and the court has a role to play,” Ukraine’s representative Anton Korynevych told the court, which is based in The Hague.

Russia boycotted the ICJ’s hearings earlier this month.

In a written filing, Moscow argued that the court “did not have jurisdiction” because Ukraine’s request fell outside of the scope of the UN’s 1948 Genocide Convention upon which it based its case.

Russia went on to say “it was acting in self-defense” to justify its invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine said the Genocide Convention, which both countries have signed, does not allow an invasion to prevent a genocide. There is no evidence of Ukraine committing or planning attacks that could be deemed crimes against humanity.

While the verdicts of the ICJ are binding, the court does not have any executive power to enforce them on a country.