Vitaly Sayenko10:48, 15.05.26

37 states approved the third founding document of the Special Tribunal – the Expanded Partial Agreement on the Establishment of the Steering Committee of the Special Tribunal.

An implementation agreement has been approved to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Punishment of the initiator of the war, Vladimir Putin, and representatives of his regime is inevitable.

As stated in the message of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine , the relevant decision was made during the Ministerial Meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which took place today in Chisinau (Moldova).

In particular, during the meeting, 37 states of the world adopted a decision to approve the Expanded Partial Agreement on the Establishment of the Steering Committee of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine – the third founding document of the Special Tribunal.

In this regard, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sybiga, emphasized the relevance of the creation of the Special Tribunal against the backdrop of yesterday’s criminal Russian attack on Kyiv, which claimed the lives of 24 people, including 3 children.

“Just like the Nuremberg Tribunal 80 years ago, this Special Tribunal in The Hague will restore justice from the ruins of war,” Sibiga emphasized.

As the Foreign Minister noted, the moral foundation of Europe and the world will be restored only when the crime of aggression against Ukraine is punished. This is a question of restoring a common space of truth, justice, and trust. It is also about dignity.

“Putin always wanted to go down in history. And this Tribunal will help him achieve this. He will go down in history. As a criminal. And not only him. Putin, Shoigu, Gerasimov, Bortnikov, Zolotov, Medvedev, Patrushev, Lukashenko and others. Today they all received their ticket to The Hague,” the minister emphasized.

According to Sybiga, today the point of no return has been passed – the Special Tribunal has become a legal reality. A year after the political decision was made in Lviv, an implementation agreement was approved, which is a real legal record in terms of speed for international criminal justice.

At the same time, the minister noted that this is just the beginning on the path to justice. “There will be more countries. There will be premises in The Hague. There will be the first committee. And there will be verdicts. Ukraine needs it. Europe needs it. And even Russia needs this Tribunal,” he added.

The Minister emphasized that the accountability infrastructure will consist of three elements: the Special Tribunal, the International Compensation Commission, and the Registry of Damages.

“Responsibility will never be a subject of compromise. Justice is an integral element of lasting peace,” Andriy Sybiga emphasized.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the expanded partial agreement on the establishment of the Steering Committee of the Special Tribunal will determine the administrative and management principles of its functioning, as well as create additional mechanisms for expanding interregional support for the Special Tribunal. Both Council of Europe member states and third states can join the Agreement.

Special Tribunal for Russia – details

As UNIAN reported, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Iryna Mudra believes that the first decisions of the special tribunal on the investigation of the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine may not be made before 2028. It is expected that the structure of the Tribunal will be located in The Hague and will begin work with the preparatory stage, the so-called Skeleton Tribunal.

The first stage is to form a steering committee to select judges, prosecutors, and investigators. The process of selecting judges could start by the end of 2026.

(c)UNIAN 2026