The Council of Europe has officially completed the preparation of the Extended Partial Agreement, which provides for the establishment of a Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of aggression by Russia against Ukraine. The agreement has been supported by 36 countries, including 34 member states of the Council of Europe, as well as the European Union, Australia, and Costa Rica. The relevant statement was presented during a meeting of the Committee of Ministers in Chișinău.
This is reported by Finway
International support and the tribunal’s objectives
Among the countries that have expressed readiness to join the agreement are Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Sweden, the United Kingdom, as well as Ukraine. The Council of Europe emphasized that other countries will also be able to join the tribunal in the future.
The main goal of the Special Tribunal will be to investigate, prosecute, and hold accountable those individuals who bear key responsibility for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The establishment of the tribunal aims to fill a gap in the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, which currently cannot fully address such cases due to procedural limitations.
“These states have taken a decisive step towards the actual establishment of the Special Tribunal and the acknowledgment of responsibility for aggression against Ukraine. The Special Tribunal represents justice and hope. Now it is necessary to take steps to implement this political commitment by ensuring the functioning and funding of the tribunal. The time when Russia must be held accountable for its aggression is rapidly approaching,” said the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, during the meeting.
Initial phase and compensation mechanism
The Netherlands has agreed to host the first phase of the Special Tribunal’s work in The Hague. Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen noted that the country is already preparing to organize the activities of the future tribunal on its territory.
At the same time, the ministers welcomed the support for the Convention on the establishment of an International Commission for the Review of Claims, which serves as the second element of the compensation mechanism following the Register of Damages. The Convention has already been signed by 38 states and the European Union. The task of the International Commission will be to verify, assess, and make decisions regarding claims submitted to the Register of Damages, as well as to determine the amount of compensation in each specific case.
As of May 2026, 44 states and the EU had joined the Register of Damages. The Register has already received over 150,000 compensation claims. The European Parliament has supported the prompt start of the tribunal’s work and called on all EU member states to join this initiative.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset signed an agreement in June 2025 to establish a Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of aggression against Ukraine. Subsequently, Zelensky tasked the Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with developing a clear schedule of practical actions for launching the tribunal.