Zelenskyy signs documents to ratify agreement on creation of special tribunal for Russia

Zelenskyy stated that he has instructed officials to urgently prepare and submit necessary legislative changes to Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada to ensure “everything on our side is fully in place for the complete implementation of the Agreement.”

“I call on Members of Parliament to address this matter without delay. I also expect the teams from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Office of the President to swiftly present a clear schedule for working with partners on implementing the Agreement and formally launching the institution,” the head of state added.

Zelenskyy stressed that Russia must feel this year that accountability for its crime of aggression is inevitable and that an international legal process to hold Moscow accountable has begun.

On June 25, Zelenskyy and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset signed the agreement in Strasbourg to create the Special Tribunal for Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine.

The tribunal is expected to have international legal status, distinct from hybrid or national structures, based on Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the ICC, supplemented by criteria for aggressive war from UN General Assembly Resolution 3314.

The tribunal will allow verdicts to be issued even without the presence of defendants, targeting Russia’s political and military leadership, and potentially that of Belarus and North Korea.

Why is a special tribunal needed to punish Russia?

International criminal justice, through the International Criminal Court (ICC), addresses war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

However, “objective legal obstacles” hinder the investigation of the crime of aggression against Ukraine, necessitating a special tribunal to hold Russia’s leadership accountable for this specific crime.

In September 2022, Ukraine’s Presidential Office proposed that G7 nations and other partner countries support the initiative for a special international tribunal to punish Russia for its aggression.

On January 16, the European Parliament received a proposal to establish the tribunal, with support from several EU countries and officials. The Netherlands has offered to host the tribunal.