Ukraine hopes to agree on format of special tribunal over Russia in autumn

Ukraine's Justice Minister, Denys Maliuska, believes that Ukraine and its partners will finalise the concept for the special tribunal on the Russian crime of aggression against Ukraine this autumn.

Source: Maliuska in a comment to Ukrinform, as reported by European Pravda 

Details: According to Maliuska, Kyiv and its partners are still negotiating the establishment of a special tribunal, and while the process has been "delayed", the countries involved have recently "moved very far".

Quote: "The approximate format of the tribunal, which appears ideal to the negotiation participants, is more or less certain. Everything appears more or less positive. There is a potential that this autumn, perhaps, we will reach some final concessions and a vision of the tribunal's format," he suggested.

Read also: Ukraine lays down two principles for future "tribunal for Putin"

The minister, however, warned that the final decision would depend on the negotiating group, the so-called core group, and the vision of the governments and parliaments of the participating countries.

"The essential difficulty that was, is, and will remain, and should be observed as a marker of the success or failure of the discussions, is the prospect of sentencing Putin and his inner circle by such a tribunal," Maliuska stated, pointing out that the most intense conversations are currently taking place around the possibility of lifting immunity from these individuals.

Discussions on the special tribunal for the crime of aggression persist since 2022, although there has been no actual progress on this issue in a long time.

The major reason is that Ukraine favours the establishment of an international tribunal (on the basis of an international organisation), whereas key Western allies prefer the so-called hybrid format (in which the tribunal is held under Ukrainian law but with the backing of foreign partners).

Support UP or become our patron!