Thirty-six countries and the European Union formally backed a new special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine on 2026-05-15, marking a major step in the effort to build a legal mechanism focused on Russia’s top leadership and the invasion that began in 2022.
According to the packet, the initiative was endorsed during the annual meeting of foreign affairs ministers of the Council of Europe. The resolution lays out the tribunal’s management structure, including rules for a committee that will oversee budgets, internal procedures and the selection of judges and prosecutors. The court is expected to be headquartered in The Hague.
The political meaning of the decision is as important as the legal one. Ukraine and its allies have spent years arguing that the crime of aggression requires a separate forum because the International Criminal Court cannot readily prosecute that offense in this case. Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute and can block changes through the UN Security Council, which creates a jurisdictional gap for the top-level decision to invade.
The packet says the signatories included a wide mix of European states, plus Australia and Costa Rica, and that the European Union endorsed the initiative even though several of its own member states did not sign the resolution. That detail shows both the breadth of support and the fact that the coalition is not yet universal.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, framed the step as a turning point. The evidence says he described it as the point of no return in the search for justice, and the broader message from Kyiv is clear: the tribunal is meant to turn political condemnation into a standing judicial process. Council of Europe secretary general Alain Berset also urged governments to finish legislative work and commit funding so the tribunal can begin as soon as possible.
The packet further explains why the tribunal matters operationally. It is designed to handle trials in absentia for many defendants, particularly those outside the top leadership “troika,” which includes the president, prime minister and foreign minister, along with senior military commanders. That structure reflects the reality that many accused officials are unlikely to be physically present in custody.
The tribunal’s reach would not stop at symbolism. The packet says it could impose life imprisonment, confiscation of personal property and fines, with proceeds directed into a compensation fund for victims. It would also complement the Register of Damages and a future International Claims Commission, both aimed at documenting losses and determining payments.
Even so, the evidence makes clear that the road ahead is still complicated. Trials in absentia for the top “troika” remain suspended while those officials stay in office, and the tribunal will need funding and domestic legal approvals before it can operate. That means the announcement is a major institutional milestone rather than the end of the accountability process.
On 2026-05-15, though, the direction was unmistakable. A broad coalition moved from political support to a formal legal framework, and the effort to prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine took another step toward becoming a functioning court.
