Vitaly Sayenko14:23, 09.05.25

The President of Ukraine calls on European countries to prevent a situation where the initiator of the war against Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, will avoid responsibility for the crimes committed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling on European countries to create a strict tribunal to punish Russia for the crime of aggression and bring all war criminals to justice.

The head of state announced this during an online address to participants in the meeting of EU foreign ministers, which is taking place in Lviv.

“Today, a decision is being prepared on new support for our defense – for the production of weapons in Ukraine – in the amount of 1 billion euros. In total, this is approximately 4 billion euros of new support from Europe as of today,” Zelenskyy stressed.

The President sincerely thanked the European ministers for this decision.

As Zelensky noted, Russia must feel a common, and most importantly, ever-increasing, strength.

“This is exactly what is needed for peace. The desire to end this war must grow within Russia itself, and it begins with a feeling – a feeling that it will lose. It will lose from this war, just as any aggressor must lose. This is exactly what is needed. I ask you to continue to work for this,” the head of state emphasized.

Zelensky, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II and Europe Day, emphasized that it is necessary to preserve a Europe that knows how to live and defends the right to life.

“We are proud of a Europe that does not kill. That is united. That protects international law. A Europe that respects the individual. And if you ask who this individual is, it is definitely not some ruler or king. At the heart of today’s Europe is respect for every human being, for the individuality and identity of everyone: the character of every nation, every person, every family. A united Europe, together with our democratic friends around the world, stands for this very thing. And this must be protected,” Zelenskyy noted.

He said that over the centuries, Europe has been repeatedly shaken and even broken by reckless, wrong changes. “And now, at this turning point in history, it is vital for all of us – for every nation – that Europe does not break again. Not this time,” Zelensky urged.

He added that Europe must simply become stronger, capable of protecting all people across the continent.

At the same time, as the president noted, there must be responsibility for the war.

“Because, if even one war goes unpunished, new wars will come. That is why Putin started a full-scale war against Ukraine – he avoided punishment for previous wars, like a bandit who has never been held accountable for his actions. This cannot be allowed to happen again. And today you are faced with a decision. The decision to create a mechanism that is capable of preventing future wars – through accountability. The decision to create a tribunal. And I urge you to give this decision your political support,” Zelenskyy noted.

He stressed that Russia must be held accountable for its aggression just like the Nazis.

“A strict tribunal for the crime of aggression can – and should – make any potential aggressor think twice. And we can realize this if everyone who values ​​human life stands up for it. Not only here, in Europe, but also in the US and other countries, just as we already see representatives of Japan and Australia here,” Zelenskyy noted.

He thanked them for working together to create the justice infrastructure needed to ensure accountability for this war, Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“We all understand that there is a lot of work ahead – both political and legal. We all understand how difficult it is to bring war criminals to court. But we have already chosen this path. Russia will be held accountable for this war. This is the moral duty of Europe and everyone in the world who values ​​human life,” Zelenskyy states.

Tribunal for Russia

The Core Group on the Tribunal has already reached technical agreement on how the Tribunal will be set up. Today, 9 May, in Lviv, European ministers are due to give final political approval to the establishment of the Tribunal for War Crimes and Crimes of Aggression. The Tribunal will be established with the participation of the Council of Europe.

Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra is convinced that a special tribunal on the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine could become operational as early as next year.

(c)UNIAN 2025