Today, 11 February, the Riigikogu approved the Council of Europe (CoE) enlarged partial agreement establishing the management committee of the special tribunal for the crime of aggression committed against Ukraine and regulating matters related to the committee’s activities. With the adoption of the act, Estonia has become the first country whose parliament has formally confirmed its readiness to support the administrative operations and financing of the special tribunal.
According to Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s accession to the management committee is an important step towards launching the special tribunal and holding Russia accountable. “Through its aggression, Russia has brutally violated the norms of international law, and we see no indication that it intends to change its behaviour,” he stressed. “It is the responsibility of the international community to continue exerting comprehensive pressure on Russia, both politically and economically, so that it has no opportunity to weaken or rewrite the principles of international law.”
The foreign minister added that this is precisely why it is essential to establish the special tribunal for the crime of aggression, to ensure that one of the gravest international crimes and those responsible for it do not go unpunished. “We call on our international partners to follow Estonia’s example and approve the agreement swiftly, so that the tribunal can begin its work as soon as possible. Impunity must not become the norm, nor can it be allowed to take root.”
The special tribunal for the crime of aggression will be an international, independent court established through an agreement between the Council of Europe and Ukraine. Its purpose is to investigate and prosecute those individuals most responsible for the crime of aggression. The tribunal will complement the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Ukraine. The special tribunal will focus specifically on the crime of aggression.
The founding documents of the special tribunal were drafted within the Core Group established in 2022, which brought together legal experts from 40 countries — including Estonia — as well as from the European Union and the Council of Europe. In June 2025, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an agreement to establish a special tribunal.
The next step is for the Council of Europe to adopt a resolution confirming the Enlarged Partial Agreement. This will establish the tribunal’s Register and its funding mechanism, which will govern the administrative functioning of the tribunal, including the approval of its budget. The Enlarged Partial Agreement is also open to non-member states of the Council of Europe and to the European Union.
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