The EU could become a co-founder of a special tribunal on Russia’s crimes against Ukraine

This was announced by the European Commission’s press office.

EU member states still need to endorse the European Commission’s proposal. Once this is done, the EU will be able to sit on the tribunal’s steering committee.

The special tribunal will be able to prosecute high-ranking Russian political and military leaders for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression by the Russian Federation: what is known

Ukraine is insisting on the establishment of a Special Tribunal, as the International Criminal Court and other similar institutions cannot, at this stage, hear cases concerning the crime of aggression.

On 9 May, the foreign ministers of European countries and EU leaders expressed their political support for the launch of the Special Tribunal. 

On 25 June in Strasbourg, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset signed an agreement on the establishment of the Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The Statute of the Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine is also ready.

In January 2026, the European Union had already transferred the first €10 million towards the establishment of the Special Tribunal.