Zelenskyy at PACE: We need not only weapons, but also tribunal for Russians

Ukraine insists that even in times of fierce war, when Ukraine needs weapons, the issue of justice cannot be put on the back burner.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Thursday night after signing an agreement in Strasbourg, arriving in Strasbourg after a summit in The Hague.

In his speech, he acknowledged that the Ukrainian public does not fully understand the need for a tribunal.

"Some people – and understandably so – ask: what can a tribunal really do? Wouldn't it be better to focus entirely on weapons, technology and drones? Of course, military support for Ukraine, tough sanctions against Russia, and political pressure on the aggressor are all essential. These are the things that make Russia feel the true cost of this war. Yes, the aggressor must lose – and we are working on that. But justice matters too," he stressed.

Zelenskyy said that it is important to ensure that the decisions of the special tribunal are recognised in a significant part of the world: "War criminals [must] have nowhere to hide. Not in Europe, not anywhere".

He said this would also send a signal to other regimes that could potentially commit similar acts. "Justice must work in a way that makes it clear to anyone planning such crimes of aggression that accountability is certain," Zelenskyy said.

On Wednesday, 25 June, Ukraine and the Council of Europe signed an agreement on a special tribunal for the crime of aggression by the Russian Federation.

The future special tribunal will allow investigations to be conducted against the highest leadership of the state and sentences to be handed down, including in absentia, but in the case of the so-called "big three" – the president, prime minister and foreign minister – sentencing will only be possible after they have lost their positions.

For more details on the agreement on the tribunal, read the article: Trial for Lavrov and Putin: all about the tribunal for Russia that received Europe's blessing