Overview

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset signed a bilateral agreement in Strasbourg on June 25 to create a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
• The tribunal’s mandate covers senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, for their roles in launching Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
• An expanded accord is needed to invite additional countries into the tribunal’s Core Group and both CoE member parliaments and Ukraine must ratify the agreement before trials can commence.
• Officials are finalizing logistical details such as the tribunal’s seat and offices, with The Hague identified as the leading candidate due to its existing legal infrastructure.
• Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe resolutions documenting acts of aggression will serve as case material and may support indictments of named officials once the tribunal is operational.