135th Ministerial Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe Held in Chișinău: Key Decisions Regarding Ukraine and the Special Tribunal

On May 14–15, the 135th Ministerial Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe took place in Chișinău, with the participation of Foreign Ministers from the Organization’s member states.

The principal outcome of the session for Ukraine was a political decision on the further establishment of the Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression of Russia against Ukraine. During the ministerial meeting, 36 states and the European Union expressed their intention to join the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the creation of the Special Tribunal.

Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset emphasized that this step brings the moment of holding Russia accountable for the crime of aggression closer: "The path ahead is the path of justice, and justice must prevail."

The Special Tribunal is designed to investigate, prosecute, and try those who bear the primary responsibility for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, supplementing the international accountability system alongside the International Criminal Court.

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha stressed: "The moral foundation of Europe and the world will be restored only when the crime of aggression against Ukraine is punished."

On the eve of the meeting, Andrii Sybiha met with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset, during which the parties discussed the final steps for launching the Tribunal and the further expansion of international support for this initiative. Special attention during the ministerial session was devoted to mechanisms for compensating the damage caused by Russian military aggression against Ukraine. The ministers welcomed the broad international support for the future International Claims Commission for Ukraine, which will serve as the next element of the compensation mechanism built upon the Register of Damage for Ukraine.

Additionally, member states of the Council of Europe adopted a political declaration in support of the European Convention on Human Rights system, reaffirming their commitment to the principles of human rights, the rule of law, and the independence of the European Court of Human Rights. On the sidelines of the ministerial session, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha held a series of bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of Council of Europe member states and the leadership of the Organization's institutions, including President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Petra Bayr and President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Gunn Marit Helgesen.

During these meetings, as well as throughout the ministerial session itself, the Ukrainian side expressed gratitude to the overwhelming majority of partners for supporting the historic decision to create the Special Tribunal and for their consistent support of Ukraine in countering Russian military aggression.