Kallas and Sybiha: Impunity for Russian leaders is impossible, a tribunal is a necessity

Kallas and Sybiha: Impunity for Russian leaders is impossible, a tribunal is a necessity

The tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine is a key element of justice, and the leaders of the Russian Federation should not go unpunished.

This was announced at a joint press conference in Lviv by the heads of Ukrainian and European diplomacy.

The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, emphasized that the crime of aggression holds particular importance even in comparison to the war crimes committed by the Russian military.

"Without aggression, without this crime, there would be no war crimes committed in Ukraine," she stated. Kallas also stressed that aggression is a "leadership crime," which involves the responsibility of the country’s leaders.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, for his part, expressed confidence that in the newly established tribunal, the highest leaders of the Russian Federation should also be held accountable. "The President of Russia, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia – they are all international criminals, and the tribunal in the future will issue appropriate verdicts (regarding these leaders of the Russian Federation)," he stated.

According to Sybiha, there is a legal possibility to achieve these verdicts. "The developed formula for the tribunal’s work is acceptable for Ukraine," he stated.

Kallas also emphasized that there is a possibility of issuing verdicts even before the arrest of the top officials of the Russian Federation. "Can they be convicted in absentia? Yes, it is possible. But there is a limitation as long as they are in office," she added.

"The tribunal will be located in The Hague, the capital of international law and responsibility," Sybiha added.