Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday signed an agreement with the Council of Europe to establish a special tribunal to address the "crime of aggression" related to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The accord, signed with Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset in Strasbourg, sets out plans to create a legal body tasked with examining the responsibility of senior Russian officials for launching the war.
Speaking after the signing in Strasbourg with Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, Zelenskyy said: “Aggression must lead to punishment. We must make it happen together, all of Europe.”
He called the agreement a “real chance to bring justice” and stressed the need for accountability at the highest level.
“Every war criminal must know there will be justice, and that includes Russia,” added the Ukrainian President.
The proposed tribunal, the first of its kind created under the Council of Europe, is intended to fill a legal gap left by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which does not have jurisdiction to try the crime of aggression. While the ICC has issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and several senior commanders, it cannot prosecute decisions to launch war.
Berset said the next step would be to expand the agreement to include more countries and secure broad international backing. The court’s location has yet to be determined, but it could begin work in 2026.
Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in 2022 following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The 46-member body includes non-EU states such as Türkiye, the UK, and Ukraine.
At least 54 migrants have drowned and dozens remain missing after a boat carrying around 150 people sank in bad weather off southern Yemen on Sunday, ...
The bodies of a pilot and his 13-year-old son have been recovered after their biplane crashed into the sea off the coast of Mallorca, Spanish authorit...
A top aide to President Donald Trump has accused India of helping finance Russia’s war in Ukraine through its continued oil purchases, as Washington...
President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are expected to speak in the coming days as Ottawa seeks to defuse tensions over a new ...
It’s vast, it’s unstable, and it holds enough ice to reshape the world’s coastlines. Thwaites Glacier, ominously nicknamed the “Doomsday Glaci...
At least 54 migrants have drowned and dozens remain missing after a boat carrying around 150 people sank in bad weather off southern Yemen on Sunday, according to health officials.
The bodies of a pilot and his 13-year-old son have been recovered after their biplane crashed into the sea off the coast of Mallorca, Spanish authorities said on Sunday.
A top aide to President Donald Trump has accused India of helping finance Russia’s war in Ukraine through its continued oil purchases, as Washington increases pressure on New Delhi with new tariffs and warnings.
President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are expected to speak in the coming days as Ottawa seeks to defuse tensions over a new 35% U.S. tariff on non-agreement Canadian goods.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
Supporters of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro gathered in São Paulo on 3 August, calling for justice reform and denouncing legal cases against the far-right leader as politically motivated.
At least 54 migrants have drowned and dozens remain missing after a boat carrying around 150 people sank in bad weather off southern Yemen on Sunday, according to health officials.
The bodies of a pilot and his 13-year-old son have been recovered after their biplane crashed into the sea off the coast of Mallorca, Spanish authorities said on Sunday.
A top aide to President Donald Trump has accused India of helping finance Russia’s war in Ukraine through its continued oil purchases, as Washington increases pressure on New Delhi with new tariffs and warnings.
President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are expected to speak in the coming days as Ottawa seeks to defuse tensions over a new 35% U.S. tariff on non-agreement Canadian goods.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment