36 Nations Support Creation of Special Tribunal for Russia's Ukraine Invasion

Thirty-four Council of Europe member states along with Australia, Costa Rica and the European Union as an institution announced on Friday they would join a future special tribunal for Ukraine to prosecute Russia over its full-scale invasion. The Council of Ministers, made up of foreign ministers from the organisation’s 46 member states, approved a resolution that lays the groundwork for the tribunal.

The body would focus on the crime of aggression tied to the war Russia launched in February 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an accord with the Council of Europe last year to establish the legal mechanism. Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in 2022 shortly after the invasion began.

Russia to be held to account for its aggression is fast approaching,” Alain Berset, secretary general of the Council of Europe, said in a statement. The organisation describes itself as a guardian of human rights and democracy across the continent. Berset added that the special tribunal “represents justice and hope” and called for concrete steps to secure its functioning and funding.

“The special tribunal represents justice and hope.”

The resolution approved by the Council of Ministers does not immediately create the tribunal but records the participating countries’ intention to join the agreement establishing the court. Thirty-four of the Council’s European members signaled support along with the three non-member participants.

Creation of the tribunal would require further negotiations on its statute, location, funding and precise jurisdiction.