Published October 17,2022
Subscribe
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have called on the EU to work with international partners to set up a special tribunal on Russia's war against Ukraine.
"As Russia's brutal assault against Ukraine continues, the EU must act to ensure that seeking justice and accountability for Russia's horrific crimes in Ukraine is at the center of our policy," a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the three EU and NATO member states said on Sunday evening.
"The key masterminds, instigators and facilitators of this murderous aggression cannot escape justice simply because of the gap in the international criminal jurisdiction."
Immediately ahead of the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg, the three chief diplomats urged their European counterparts to continue supporting ongoing investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Ukraine and a number of other states.
"Our efforts, however, must not end there. Currently there is no international court or tribunal that could bring Russia's top political and military leadership to account for committing the crime of aggression against Ukraine," they wrote in their statement.
According to the Baltic foreign ministers, the establishment of a special tribunal would complement the role of the ICC.
"While the ICC would prosecute individuals for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, the Special Tribunal's core responsibility would be the crime of aggression," they explained in their joint letter.
In September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called at the United Nations for the establishment of a special tribunal to hold Russia accountable for crimes committed in the war against his country. The European Commission reacted cautiously to this.
