An important international meeting took place in Lviv, during which delegations from 35 European countries, including foreign ministers, representatives from Ukraine, and the Council of Europe, signed a declaration regarding the establishment of a Special Tribunal to hold accountable those responsible for Russia’s acts of aggression against Ukraine. This is a key step in a broader system of legal measures aimed at punishing those guilty of war crimes, genocide, and other international offenses committed by the Russian leadership.
This is reported by Київ24
Signing of the Declaration and Future Steps
According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, three historical events were discussed in Lviv, including the signing of an agreement regarding a tranche of profits from frozen Russian assets amounting to about 1 billion euros. These funds will be used, among other things, to purchase weapons for Ukraine’s needs. Ukraine insists on the complete confiscation of Russian assets worldwide to restore justice and prevent the recurrence of war.
A significant milestone was the decision to create a special tribunal in The Hague to investigate acts of aggression and hold high-ranking officials of the Russian Federation and Belarus accountable for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022. Participants in the meeting outlined plans to develop legal documents and form legal teams to initiate the tribunal’s operations.
The Significance of Establishing the Tribunal and Historical Context
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha emphasized that the formulation of the tribunal took over 2.5 years and involves the application of the principle of inevitability of punishment for all guilty parties, including high-ranking officials of the Russian Federation.
“All of them are international war criminals. The establishment of the tribunal is intended to render appropriate verdicts in the future”
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The location of the meeting – Lviv – holds symbolic significance, as it was here in the 1920s that Polish-American lawyer Raphael Lemkin, the author of the term “genocide,” obtained his legal education. This underscores the historical and symbolic connection of Ukrainian land with the struggle for truth and justice.
Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, emphasized that the establishment of the tribunal sends an important signal to the global community that crimes will not go unanswered. She also noted that it demonstrates unity and support from many countries in countering Russian aggression.
“This is a very important signal, and it is crucial that so many countries are involved”
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This high-level meeting in Lviv was the first of its kind, during which participants were introduced to an exhibition of military equipment used by Russia to destroy Ukrainian cities and civilian populations. The exhibition displays elements of Russian missiles, drones, and details about the countries of origin, illustrating the scale and complexity of arms supplies.
Following an informal meeting in Warsaw, European Union foreign ministers arrived in Lviv to reaffirm their support for Ukraine during this difficult time. The European Commission and other international bodies laid the legal foundations for the establishment of the Special Tribunal back in December 2024, and the process of launching it is currently underway. President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to all countries that joined this initiative and emphasized the need to intensify efforts to launch the tribunal’s full-scale operations.