Kyiv’s European allies have endorsed the creation of a special tribunal to hold top Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, to account for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
European Union foreign ministers, who met in the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Friday, signed off on the tribunal, named the “Lviv statement”, to mark the conclusion of the technical work to draft the legal body.
The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, told reporters there was no space for “impunity”.
“Russia’s aggression cannot go unpunished and therefore establishing this tribunal is extremely important,” Kallas said.
“This tribunal will ensure that those most responsible for the aggression against Ukraine are held accountable,” she added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said the tribunal was part of the continent’s moral duty to hold Russia accountable for the war.
“A strong tribunal for the crime of aggression can – and must – make any potential aggressor think twice,” he said in a video address to the meeting.
Meanwhile, Russia declined to respond to news of the tribunal. “We are not reacting to this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, according to the TASS state news agency.
An EU official told the Reuters news agency that the tribunal would have to respect Putin and his officials’ immunity while in office, but a prosecutor could investigate and propose an indictment ready for when the immunity is dropped.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel welcomed the move and told Reuters that the tribunal was a good step because it “fills a void that currently exists”.
“Which is how can you prosecute the leadership for the crime of aggression against another country,” he said.
While the tribunal could start operating this year, it is not the only legal instrument being used against Russia for its war on Ukraine.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Putin and other Russian officials for the forced deportation of children and attacks on Ukrainian energy sites.
Frozen Russian assets
Elsewhere on Friday, France announced that it would begin tapping into income from frozen Russian assets to help maintain about 60 French-made Caesar howitzers delivered to Ukraine.
France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that using the funds will ensure the “continued maintenance of the Caesar cannons it has supplied to Ukraine to help resist Russian attacks”.
“We want peace, and today the only obstacle to peace is in Moscow, parading around under the name of Vladimir Putin,” said Barrot, adding that pressure must be put on the Russian leader to agree to a ceasefire.
In Lviv, the EU’s Kalas also pledged to disburse one billion euros ($1.1bn) from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets to Ukrainian arms companies.
“We have just made available 1 billion euros for the Ukrainian defence industry so that Ukraine could better defend itself,” Kallas said. “This funding will directly support Ukrainian defence companies and secure additional military aid over the coming months, which are critical.”
The West has frozen around $300bn of Russian central bank assets – most of which are located in Europe – over Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.
Friday’s developments came as Putin told a military parade in front of key allies, including China’s Xi Jinping, that Russia would be victorious in Europe.
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