Ukraine and the Council of Europe signed an agreement on Wednesday laying the groundwork for a special tribunal to prosecute top Russian officials for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset formalised the accord at the Council’s headquarters in Strasbourg, France.
“This is truly a very important step. Every war criminal must know there will be justice—and that includes Russia,” Zelenskiy said during the ceremony. “We are now boosting the legal work in a serious way.”
Zelenskiy acknowledged that much remains to be done, stressing that the agreement marks only the beginning: “It will take strong political and legal cooperation to ensure every Russian war criminal faces justice, including President Vladimir Putin.”
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has called for the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute acts of aggression and war crimes, beyond what existing international courts have jurisdiction to address.
The Council of Europe—comprising 46 member states—approved plans for the tribunal in May, describing it as a complement to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC has already issued an arrest warrant for Putin, accusing him of overseeing the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
The proposed tribunal is intended to fill legal gaps left by current international mechanisms and bring greater accountability to Russia’s top leadership.
reuters/s.s