Thursday, May 7, 2026 7:00:11 AM
The European Union has officially endorsed the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine, clearing a path for indictments that could reach the highest levels of Russian leadership – including President Vladimir Putin. The decision was confirmed in a document published on the Council of the European Union’s official website.
Because Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) lacks the legal authority to prosecute Russian leaders for aggression, there was previously no existing court empowered to pursue such charges. According to the EU Council document, this new special tribunal will be given a mandate to address the launching of Russia’s war of aggression.
The Netherlands has expressed its willingness to host the tribunal. “This is a significant and much-awaited step forward,” Ukraine’s Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, Iryna Mudra, told the Kyiv Independent, calling the EU’s decision “a shift from conceptual design to the final stage of institution-building.”
Once operational, the tribunal could issue indictments against Vladimir Putin as well as other top Russian military and political leaders. The court’s jurisdiction will also extend to countries participating in the war on Russia’s side, notably Belarus and North Korea.
The EU has already allocated an initial €10 million to fund the tribunal. In late January, EU’s Foreign Affairs representative Kaja Kallas announced the bloc’s first financial contribution to the court investigating Russian crimes of aggression against Ukraine. “Russian leaders are responsible for this war, and they must be held accountable. There can be no impunity,” Kallas stressed.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe officially launched the process of creating the special tribunal in May 2025, following a direct request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The formal agreement between the Council of Europe and Kyiv was signed in Strasbourg in June that year. The tribunal’s investigation will cover incidents dating back to February 2014, not just the start of the full-scale war in 2022.
A source close to the tribunal’s establishment told DW that investigations will target not only Putin but also Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. While indictments are expected to be prepared, the court cannot issue charges or arrest warrants until official immunity for these individuals is lifted. Overall, some 20 Russian officials identified by Kyiv are expected to be named in the case.
(C)UAWIRE 2026