The European Parliament voted for a non-binding resolution on Thursday, 19 January, calling for the creation of a special international tribunal to prosecute the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The European Parliament believes that establishing such a tribunal would fill the large gap in the current international institutional criminal justice system and should be based on the standards and principles that apply to the International Criminal Court.

In the resolution, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) emphasised that the special international tribunal must have jurisdiction to investigate not only Vladimir Putin, but also Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, and the political and military leadership in Belarus.

"The European Parliament considers that the special international tribunal must have jurisdiction to investigate not only Vladimir Putin and the political and military leadership of the Russian Federation, but also Alexander Lukashenko and the political and military leadership in Belarus, as an enabling state, from the territory of which and with the logistical support of which the Russian Federation is committing its war of aggression against Ukraine," the resolution reads.

The MEPs said that the EU’s preparatory work on the special tribunal "should begin without delay", focus on establishing the arrangements for the special tribunal in cooperation with Ukraine and support Ukrainian and international authorities in securing evidence to be used in the future special tribunal.

MEPs called on EU institutions, in particular the European Commission and the European External Action Service, to provide support for the establishment of an interim prosecutor’s office in the meantime. They believe that setting up this office would be a very important practical step forward in the investigation and prosecution by the future special tribunal of the crime of aggression against Ukraine. As European Pravda previously reported, the European Commission is considering the possibility of creating an international prosecutor's office to investigate the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

A separate clause of the resolution is devoted to the use of sovereign assets of the Russian state as reparations for the violations of international law by Russia in Ukraine.

"The consequences of Russia's war on Ukraine are huge. Children, women, men murdered. Families split. Hospitals destroyed. Homes demolished. Schools ruined. Today, the European Parliament calls for an urgent special international tribunal. War criminals must be brought to justice. Now," Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, commented on the adoption of the document.

The consequences of Russia's war on Ukraine are huge.

Children, women, men murdered. Families split. Hospitals destroyed. Homes demolished. Schools ruined.

Today @Europarl_EN calls for an urgent special international tribunal.

War criminals must be brought to justice. Now.

— Roberta Metsola (@EP_President) January 19, 2023

Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister, supported the creation of a special tribunal to hold Russia accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.