44 countries endorse establishment of special tribunal on Russian crimes in Ukraine

Forty-four countries have endorsed the proposal to set up a tribunal addressing the crimes of aggression aimed at bringing Russia to justice for its conduct in Ukraine. This support was formalized through a political declaration signed by state representatives at the “Restoring Justice for Ukraine” conference, which took place in The Hague on April 2, as announced by the Dutch government.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian World Congress has consistently urged the international community to create a special tribunal to restore justice and hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked brutal war against Ukraine.

In total, 57 countries participated in the conference in the Netherlands. Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States joined the call.

“We call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its war of aggression against Ukraine and recall in this regard the legally binding Order of the International Court of Justice of 16 March 2022 to immediately suspend its military operations,” the text reads.

The countries once again condemned Russia’s actions, including unlawful attacks on civilian facilities, imprisonment and torture of Ukrainians in Russian prisons, deportation of children, and sexual violence. Signatories expressed support for increased collective efforts to ensure proper investigation of all violations of international law committed by Russia during the war in Ukraine.

The countries confirmed their intention to work towards establishing a tribunal to hold Russia accountable. This will contribute to the punishment of the top military-political leadership of the Russian Federation. Signatories called on other countries and international organizations to assist in developing the legal basis and international support to complete this process.

“I am grateful to all states that recognize the importance of achieving results in this matter. I am confident that by working together, we will be able to find all of the necessary solutions and bring the Tribunal into reality. We need to make another push to get it done,” wrote Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

In addition, the declaration signatories expressed support for initiatives to use frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine. Russian resources abroad will remain frozen until the Kremlin ceases aggression and compensates for the damages inflicted, according to the declaration.