VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS) – Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg, as President of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, presided over the signing of a historic agreement establishing the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset signed the agreement in Strasbourg, marking the first formal international step to prosecute Russian leaders for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Borg called the moment “deeply honouring” for Malta’s presidency, emphasizing that the Tribunal addresses “one of the gravest violations of international law: the crime of aggression.”
“They will be held to account—not through retaliation, but through law,” Borg said. The signing followed an extraordinary session of the Committee of Ministers, which overwhelmingly approved the bilateral agreement.
The Special Tribunal aims to fill a major gap in international justice by directly prosecuting acts of aggression, a charge rarely tackled under current legal frameworks.
While complementing the International Criminal Court, the Tribunal will focus specifically on Russia’s decision to initiate war.
Under Malta’s presidency, attention will now turn to implementing the Tribunal and aiding Ukraine through additional initiatives, including a Claims Commission and a Compensation Fund.
To date, over 34,000 claims have been recorded by the Council of Europe’s Register of Damages.
– Photo Malta Ministry of Foreign Affairs –
(ITALPRESS)
