(PresidentialHill.com)- Ukrainian officials are stepping up their calls to create a special court to try Russian President Vladimir Putin criminally and target the core team of advisers and military leaders behind their nation’s invasion.
Kyiv hasn’t decided on the best course of action yet, which raises complex legal issues of jurisdiction and the financial and political support of Ukraine’s international allies.
The ultimate objective is to make Putin answerable for the aggression he committed by invading Ukraine.
The Nuremberg Trials in the wake of World War II saw the only prosecution of the crime of aggression, which Kyiv refers to as the original sin.
Kyiv hopes that a particular court will support other initiatives to bring about justice for the tens of thousands of alleged war crimes being investigated and documented, including claims of genocide.
Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian Presidency Office, said in a speech to the US Institute of Peace earlier this month that “the crime of aggression is the alpha and omega of the war.”
Anton Korynevych, the Ukrainian government’s spokesman on the tribunal’s creation, said that Kyiv is working to win support from its American and European allies for creating such a court, regardless of its format.
It’s unclear whether Ukrainian officials will aim to target the Russian state as a whole or just Putin and other influential figures.
According to Korynevych, Ukraine is considering three options for a tribunal.
One would be a deal between Ukraine and the European Union to set up a European court, an idea supported by Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.
The other two options entail the General Assembly of the United Nations either ordering the secretary-general to negotiate a deal with Ukraine or endorsing a multilateral agreement between Ukraine and the majority of other members of the organization to establish such a court.
All options are available, according to Korynevych. We are learning, considering, and looking for the most workable options. Any option will need the backing of the most significant number of states to be legitimate and credible. The international community must support such a tribunal.
