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The EU and 36 other countries have approved a key decision to establish a Special Tribunal to investigate Russia’s crimes against Ukraine

The EU and 36 other countries have approved a key decision to establish a Special Tribunal to investigate Russia’s crimes against Ukraine

15 May 2026, 13:47

The EU and 36 other countries have approved a key decision to establish a Special Tribunal to investigate Russia’s crimes against Ukraine — Special Tribunal on Russia’s Crimes against Ukraine

On Friday, 15 May, the Council of Europe adopted a key decision regarding the establishment of a Special Tribunal on the Russian Federation’s crime of aggression against Ukraine — it approved an agreement on the creation of a steering committee.

This has been reported by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The decision was backed by the EU and 36 countries. This agreement will set out how the Special Tribunal will operate and be governed, and will help to secure broader international support.

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

Ukraine insists on the creation 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 2025, 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 its establishment. The Statute of the Special Tribunal is also ready.

In January 2026, the European Union transferred the first €10 million towards the establishment of the Special Tribunal, and in March began the process of becoming one of the tribunal’s founding members. In April, Ukraine entered the final stages of establishing the Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression by the Russian Federation.

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