Lviv - Ukraine and nearly 20 European foreign ministers unanimously expressed support today in Lviv for an initiative to establish a special international tribunal to try Russian President Vladimir Putin and other key Russian officials for military aggression against Ukraine. The meeting in the west of Ukraine, in a safer part of the country, was of strong symbolic and political significance.

The ministers, representing the European Union and several other European countries, met at the invitation of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. "This tribunal should send a clear message: no act of aggression goes unpunished. Putin and his entourage must be held accountable," Kuleba told a press conference after the meeting.

The support for the establishment of the tribunal follows calls from Ukraine and several Eastern European states, which have long advocated for the creation of a legal framework to punish the "crime of aggression", i.e. the decision to wage war. Indeed, the current International Criminal Courts focus primarily on war crimes and crimes against humanity, while the prosecution of the act of aggression itself is legally more complex and requires a separate institution.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in Lviv that support for the tribunal was not only a legal issue, but also a moral and political one. "It is unacceptable that the aggressor is not punished while the victim suffers," she said.

When asked by the Russian news agency TASS, the Kremlin responded brusquely. Its spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "we will not comment on the establishment of the tribunal". The Kremlin has previously been dismissive of any efforts to internationally investigate or prosecute Russian officials, describing them as "politically motivated and illegitimate".

The meeting in Lviv is part of Ukraine's broader diplomatic efforts to mobilise international support, not only in the field of military and economic assistance, but also in the field of international justice. Ukrainian officials say the creation of the tribunal is an important step towards ensuring that aggression by a nuclear power is not perceived as impunity.

It is not yet clear when and where the tribunal might be established. Discussions are now taking place mainly at the level of the Council of Europe and the UN. However, the Ukrainian side insists that it is the political support of European states that is key to overcoming the legal obstacles.

gnews.cz -GH