Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine moves toward launch – Council of Europe chief

He recalled that on June 25, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Strasbourg, where a bilateral agreement between the Council of Europe and Ukraine on the establishment of the Tribunal was signed.

"It was truly a very important moment for the Council of Europe, I think for Ukraine and for the whole European continent. But the most important point was to sign a bilateral agreement between the Council of Europe and Ukraine for the establishment of the Tribunal," Berset noted.

According to him, after the agreement was signed, extensive preparatory work began.

"We are ready to activate an advance team to prepare all the necessary components for the Tribunal. I'm talking about the legal instruments, the infrastructure, staff. And we are trying now, and I hope it will be possible soon, to finance this first step," he explained.

Berset emphasized that the launch of the process depends on the support of member states. It will be possible to launch it after a number of states join and begin to work actively in this direction.

"That part of the equation is not in our hands. We are putting forward a case. We are advocating for member states and non-member states to come with us. And it will be possible to set this in motion as soon as we have states engaging strongly in this direction, with the budget, and also with the ratification of the enlarged partial agreement that will allow the states to join. That is exactly what needs to happen now. For our part, we are ready. We can go at the drop of a hat. But we need to have the support," said the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Responding to a question about whether the Tribunal could start operating in 2026, he said he could not predict the exact timing, as "it is not entirely in our hands."

Agreement on the establishment of the Special Tribunal

On June 25, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset signed an agreement establishing a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

The statute of the Special Tribunal does not contain references to personal immunity, which allows charges to be brought even against the current leadership of Russia. However, the adoption of a verdict or conviction in absentia is possible only after their removal from office.

Later, Zelenskyy explained that for the process of establishing the special tribunal to begin, it is necessary for the Council to ratify the agreement quickly.