On 9 May, in Lviv, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha took part in a meeting of foreign ministers of the Coalition of States for the Establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crimes of Aggression against Ukraine (Core Group), which, along with Ukraine, includes four dozen states.

The meeting was opened by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and moderated by Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Iryna Mudra. Among the high-profile foreign guests were the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, who delivered a video message, and the Head of EU Diplomacy, Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas.

The participants adopted a joint Lviv statement, which became the first high-level political decision to establish a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The tribunal will be formalised within the Council of Europe and located in The Hague.

The tribunal is being established to bring Russia's top military and political leadership to justice for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

‘Already today, Ukraine is collecting evidence and taking the necessary procedural steps to document the crimes committed by the Russian aggressor. And by the persons who will be sentenced within the framework of this Tribunal,’ said Andrii Sybiha.

The Minister emphasised the central role of the Council of Europe in the establishment of the tribunal.

‘The next steps will be the conclusion of an agreement between the Council of Europe and Ukraine, and this will put the final point in the process of creating a legal infrastructure to bring the Russian aggressor and Russian criminals to justice for the crime of aggression,’ the Foreign Minister said.

Andrii Sybiha expressed special gratitude to Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel and Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, for their personal efforts and contribution to the process of establishing the Tribunal.

The procedural and formal approval of the Tribunal will take place shortly in Luxembourg during a meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

‘Today, with the adoption of the Lviv Statement, we have brought international criminal law back to Lviv. A city with which two prominent figures are closely associated - Sir Hersch Lauterpacht, who introduced the concept of a crime against humanity, and Rafal Lemkin, who is one of the founders of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This is a serious step towards restoring justice,’ - said Andrii Sybiha in his speech at the meeting.