On Monday, February 23, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, participated in the international “Justice Conference” held in Kyiv.

On the eve of the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Andrii Sybiha noted that this war has become a true watershed in modern history and the largest in Europe since World War II. Russian aggression has not merely initiated a restructuring of Europe’s security architecture but has effectively exposed the problem of its ineffectiveness.

“It turns out that the international order is not a given. And when criminals begin to flagrantly violate the rules, there are no mechanisms for effective counteraction,” the Minister emphasized.

Andrii Sybiha outlined three key points to the conference participants.

First: International law must be a law, not a declaration. And its violations must be punished.

The Head of the MFA noted that the imperfection of international law is part of a global problem. This war has proven that it cannot be a mere declaration. International law must be ultimate and binding, and its violation must entail real consequences.

The Foreign Minister also recalled the advancement of peace efforts under the leadership of the United States, Ukraine's support for this process, and last year's attempts by the Russian Federation to put forward unacceptable demands, including the absence of accountability for crimes.

“The decisive factor in the peace process is not what Russia signs. The decisive factor is what our partners and allies are prepared to do if Russia violates the agreements again,” the Head of the MFA remarked.

Drawing a historical parallel with the Nuremberg Trials after World War II, the Minister emphasized that justice is the guarantee of a lasting peace. Only the awareness of the inevitability of punishment can compel Russia, other violators, and potential aggressors to adhere to international humanitarian law.

Second: Russia's accountability is not a theory. It is practical work. There will be no amnesty.

According to Andrii Sybiha, this responsibility lies both with the state leadership that unleashed the war and with every individual Russian occupier. He stressed that war criminals have no right to amnesty.

In the legal confrontation with Russia, Ukraine utilizes all available international judicial mechanisms, including the International Court of Justice and arbitral tribunals under the Law of the Sea.

The head of the foreign policy agency expressed sincere gratitude to partner states for documenting Russian crimes, which form the evidentiary base against the aggressor.

“It is these materials that became the basis for the International Criminal Court’s issuance of already six arrest warrants: for the war criminal Putin, his commissioner for the abduction of Ukrainian children, as well as four Russian military leaders responsible for missile terror,” he added.

The Foreign Minister specifically emphasized that the unlawful transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children is one of the gravest crimes of this war. Ukraine systematically submits new evidence, testimonies of children who have been returned home, and documents every case.

Third: The Special Tribunal and compensation must become fully operational.

Andrii Sybiha thanked the Council of Europe for its leadership in establishing the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and the International Compensation Mechanism.

It is particularly significant that the first political step in this direction was taken on May 9 last year in Lviv — the city where Raphael Lemkin, the author of the term “genocide,” and Hersch Lauterpacht, one of the authors of the concept of human rights as a norm of international law, studied.

“This month, the Advance Group of the Special Tribunal commenced its work to prepare institutional, logistical, and organizational solutions. We thank the European Union for its support and a voluntary contribution of ten million euros. We look forward to the earliest possible entry into force of the Enlarged Partial Agreement so that the Special Tribunal can operate at full capacity,” the Minister noted.

The implementation of the Special Tribunal will confirm that the spirit of Nuremberg — the spirit of justice — is alive today. This includes the personal accountability of Putin.

“The wheels of international justice are gaining momentum. And for the international legal sphere, they are doing so rapidly. Because there is no other way for us. There can be no half-measures when it comes to justice. Because it is a matter of dignity,” the Head of the MFA emphasized.

Finally, the Minister expressed gratitude to the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, and the Director of the Department for International Law and International Legal Counteraction to Aggression of the MFA, Anton Korynevych, for their efforts on the accountability track, as well as to all partners supporting the bringing of Russia and Russian criminals to justice for all committed crimes.