On Europe Day, an international coalition of countries – the Core Group – officially endorsed the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The Core Group meeting took place in Lviv with the participation of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, EU Commissioner Michael McGrath, representatives of the Council of Europe, and the foreign ministers of the Core Group member states.

The event was moderated by Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Iryna Mudra, who has been coordinating the legal work related to the establishment of the special tribunal.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset addressed the participants via video message.

“We all understand there is a lot of work ahead, both political and legal. We all understand how hard it is to actually bring war criminals to the courtroom. But we’ve already chosen the path. Russia will be held accountable for this war. This is a moral duty for Europe – and for everyone in the world who values human life,” the Head of State emphasized.

For more than two years, legal teams from Core Group member states have been working to close a gap in international law regarding accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. As a result of this coordinated effort, draft constituent documents necessary for the establishment of the special tribunal have been prepared.

The next step will be a session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, scheduled for May 13–14 in Luxembourg, where the formal process of establishing the special tribunal will begin.

Following today’s meeting, a joint concluding statement – the Lviv Statement – was adopted.

Joint Statement of the Foreign Ministers Meeting on the conclusion of the work of the Core Group on the Establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.pdf