Will Putin end up behind bars? Europe weighs prospect of tribunal for dictator

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy: 'When this war is over those who perpetrate in Russia must account for the crimes.'

The UK Foreign Secretary noted during his visit to Lviv that now is exactly the time when Putin could end the war with a truce and begin the process of taking responsibility for what he has done to the people of Ukraine.

"We in the United Kingdom will continue to support Ukraine with all the military, economic, and humanitarian support that we can. We join with our European friends and partners in supporting President Zelenskyy and his team at this time," Lammy said.

According to the UK Foreign Secretary, the Kremlin leader must accept the truce proposal, which he was called to by US President Donald Trump.

"And (Putin - ed.) should understand that if he doesn't do this, of course, he will meet the force of the international community with a severe package of sanctions. Today, we announced in the United Kingdom the biggest tranche of sanctions, the biggest set of sanctions that you can see anywhere in the world against Russia's shadow fleet and against their attempts to circumvent international rules and to continue to fund their regime," Lammy added.

At the same time, when asked by RBC-Ukraine whether he believes the tribunal will be able to sentence Putin to prison and deprive him of immunity, the UK Foreign Secretary replied: "It is hugely important that we stand against this extraordinary crime."

"What we are seeing is the crime of aggression. Just as the international community has done in the past, we must hold war criminals accountable for their acts. It is absolutely clear that when this war is over, those who have perpetrated it in Russia must account for their crimes of aggression and crimes against humanity," Lammy concluded.

Luxembourg Foreign Minister: 'The political will to create a tribunal exists.'

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel, responding to a question from RBC-Ukraine, said that the political will to create a tribunal for Putin exists as of now.

"I think there is a political will, and I think it is also important to have arguments on the Ukrainian side when there will be discussions afterwards. You need the arguments that you can put on the table and say: this is something we have to know, this is on our side. Everything we can do to support the Ukrainian side is important. I think these creations also show the solidarity of the international community with Ukraine," Bettel said.

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister also commented on the correspondent’s question about whether he believes that the creation of a special tribunal might somehow influence the negotiation process.

"I see that at this moment, President Putin doesn't listen to anyone. So, caught or not caught, I've seen that he was a welcomed guest in some countries that are members of the international rule (ICC - ed.) that we have. But they don't fulfil afterwards what they've signed," Bettel responded.

However, in his view, "it's not about to put pressure or not." The Minister noted, for Ukraine, it is important to have more military power, because that is what will help the Ukrainians.

"I hope that next week in Luxembourg we will decide on every positive point and strength for Ukrainians that is important in these difficult times," Bettel concluded.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot: 'This tribunal will allow for the fight against impunity.'

RBC-Ukraine also asked for the opinion of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. When asked whether he believes the tribunal could sentence Putin to prison, he responded as follows.

"I am sure that this tribunal will allow for the fight against impunity and all war crimes that have been committed during this war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine," Barrot said.

The French Minister was also asked about today’s participation of one of the European leaders in the parade in Moscow - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. He responded briefly.

"The Europeans, they were protesting ten years ago on the Maidan. This is the reason why Russia decided to trigger its colonial war against Ukraine, to try an reaffirm its ownership over a country that has been independent since 1991. That is the reason why European countries are so numerous to be represented here today in Lviv, because we do not support colonial wars - not only for Ukraine, but also for ourselves," Jean-Noël Barrot concluded.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas: 'We really need to bring those people to justice who decided to start this war.'

"These are unnecessary deaths, these are unnecessary suffering. We really need to bring those people to justice who decided to start this war (Russia's full-invasion of Ukraine - ed.) That's why we are starting this special tribunal for aggression. Today, we have political endorsement for this. We have completed the technical part and the preparation, and this is very important, because without justice there can be no peace," Kallas said.

The EU High Representative also noted that "every such big crisis" requires further development of international law.

"We have the UN Charter, that says that one cannot attack another country, its territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. There has to be accountability. What happens if somebody does? In order to prevent this in the future. It is not only about Ukraine, it has a much broader impact, so that there are no wars in the world," Kallas added.

EU leaders gather in Lviv for a crucial step toward establishing a tribunal

Today, on Europe Day, delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe arrived in Lviv to sign documents for the creation of a special tribunal regarding the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

In February, the European Commission reported that legal experts from the EU, the EU's External Action Service, the Council of Europe, Ukraine, and another 37 countries had laid the legal groundwork for the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

In addition, today, European leaders also met to discuss accelerating sanctions against Russia and approving the new SAFE instrument. It will allow Ukraine to participate in joint arms procurement.