(BSS/AFP) - EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas expressed "strong support" to the International Criminal Court in the face of US sanctions, during a visit to its headquarters in The Hague on Friday.

This month, the United States announced sanctions against the ICC aimed at crippling the day-to-day operations of the court, which tries individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Washington has vowed to dismantle the court "brick by brick", furious that judges have issued an arrest warrant for Israel`s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged crimes in Gaza.

"EU member states are serious about protecting the ICC and a world governed by international law," Kallas said after meeting ICC President Tomoko Akane.

She said she conveyed "the EU`s strong support for the court, its judges, and their work".

The US sanctions will come into force in six months, and Kallas reiterated that the EU would use that time "for dialogue, to find a solution and explore what more we can do to help the court".

The ICC on Thursday was awarded the European Union`s top rights prize.