On Thursday evening, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed with U.S. President Donald Trump during a phone call “to work closely together with the aim of ending the war in Ukraine,” according to a German readout. After the call, Trump urged Putin to accept a 30-day ceasefire and said that if it was “not respected, the U.S. and its partners will impose further sanctions.”
The tribunal is set to be established under the legal framework of the Council of Europe — the non-EU body responsible for human rights in Europe. It will have its own prosecutors and judges. It can begin its work as soon as it is approved by two- thirds of member countries of the Council.
Putin and his colleagues, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, enjoy immunity while in office under international law and thus cannot be prosecuted immediately. However, the tribunal can gather evidence against them. It can also already prosecute other Russian officials, such as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and people in the armed forces.
“Today, we have the political endorsement for this,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters in Lviv, adding that the tribunal was a key step in developing international law.
“This is very important because without justice, you can’t have peace,” she said. “There has to be accountability.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lauded the launch of the tribunal in his video address to foreign ministers, adding: “Russia must be held accountable for its aggression, just as the Nazis were.”
