MEPs voted 446 to 63 on Thursday to demand the swift establishment of a special tribunal to hold Russia’s political and military leadership accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on April 30, calling for the rapid operationalisation of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine, as the institution’s official press release confirmed. The resolution, backed by a broad cross-party coalition, declared Russia’s war a blatant violation of international law and demanded accountability extending to the highest levels of Russia’s leadership.
What The Resolution Demands
The text calls on the EU and its member states to join the Special Tribunal’s Enlarged Partial Agreement and support the Netherlands in finalising its hosting arrangements. MEPs urged the European Commission to guarantee sustained funding for the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine beyond December 2026, ensuring all collected evidence remains transferable to the future tribunal.
Crucially, the resolution makes clear that accountability must reach beyond battlefield commanders. It explicitly states that responsibility extends to judges of Russia’s Constitutional Court and members of the State Duma whose decisions authorised the annexation of Ukrainian territories — a scope that goes well beyond Putin himself and his immediate military circle.
Why A Separate Tribunal Is Needed
The International Criminal Court in The Hague, which has already issued an arrest warrant for Putin over the deportation of Ukrainian children, cannot prosecute the crime of aggression itself — it lacks jurisdiction when the offending state is not a party to the Rome Statute, as Russia is not. A dedicated tribunal is therefore required to fill this legal gap. The agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe to establish such a body was signed in June 2025, with The Hague expected to serve as its seat.
On the same day, Parliament also backed the establishment of the International Claims Commission for Ukraine with 465 votes in favour, a parallel mechanism designed to enable compensation for civilian victims. The commission is set to be inaugurated on the sidelines of the Committee of Ministers session in Chișinău on May 14, 2026.
Where Things Stand
As of late March 2026, the tribunal had not yet been formally established, though preparatory work is under way with €10 million in EU funding already committed to an advance team. At least 33 countries have signed the Enlarged Partial Agreement. Between 20 and 30 Russian officials are estimated to be potential indictees, including figures already subject to ICC arrest warrants such as Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu.
Thursday’s vote adds further legislative pressure on the Commission and member states to move faster — and reflects the Parliament’s position that the tribunal must be operational before the window for accountability closes.
