Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a landmark agreement late Wednesday with the Council of Europe to create a special tribunal aimed at prosecuting top officials responsible for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The tribunal will specifically address “the crime of aggression”, targeting high-ranking Russian political and military leaders — including the possibility of indicting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Every war criminal must know that justice will prevail — and this includes Russia,” Zelensky said after signing the agreement in Strasbourg with Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset.
Speaking before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Zelensky emphasized:
“It will require significant political and legal courage to ensure that every Russian war criminal, including Putin, faces justice.”
“We must send a clear message: aggression leads to punishment. And we must do this together — as Europe,” he later wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
According to the Council of Europe, the tribunal’s mandate will focus on prosecuting senior political and military leaders for launching the war against Ukraine. The crime of aggression, it explained, refers to “the decision to use armed force against another state in violation of the UN Charter.”
The tribunal could also prosecute nationals of Belarus or North Korea if it’s proven they played a significant role in the aggression against Ukraine.
Council of Europe Secretary General Berset underscored:
“International law must be applied equally to all — with no exceptions and no double standards.”
He added that the Council hopes the tribunal will begin operations next year, although its headquarters has yet to be determined, according to RFE/RL.
This marks the first time such a tribunal is being established under the oversight of the Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights organization.
The Council of Europe, with 46 member states, is not part of the European Union, and includes major non-EU countries such as Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine. Russia was expelled following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
