Foreign Minister Tsahkna: work to hold Russia’s leadership to account continues
Today 22 November, the Core Group on the Establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine adopted a resolution reaffirming its continued efforts to establish a special tribunal for prosecuting the crime of aggression committed against Ukraine. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said it was vital to ensure accountability for Russia’s leadership that unleashed the war and it was only possible through a special tribunal, which is why the statement by the Core Group was extremely welcome.
“Responsibility for the aggression committed in Ukraine and the accompanying international crimes lies solely on Russia’s leadership that unleashed the war,” Tsahkna said. “It is the duty of the international community to ensure that the so-called troika – president, prime minister and foreign minister – cannot evade accountability and hide behind immunity.”
A legitimate and internationally-backed special tribunal for the crime of aggression would make it possible to bypass the individual immunity of national leaders.
“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is not a challenge for Ukraine and Europe alone, it concerns the entire international community,” Tsahkna said. “If Russia’s leadership that launched the aggression is not held to account due to immunity, the rules-based international order would be under threat and it would send a dangerous signal that aggression goes unpunished.”
With the statement adopted today, the member states of the Core Group affirm their commitment to establishing an effective Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, capable of delivering justice by holding accountable those who bear the greatest responsibility. The Core Group welcomes the contributions of the Council of Europe and the European Union and calls on other international organisations and states to lend their support to the special tribunal.
The statement also recognises Ukraine’s ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as an important expression of Ukraine’s commitment to international law and international justice.
The Core Group established on the initiative of Ukraine includes more than 40 countries, including Estonia, the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
The full statement of the Core Group on the Establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
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