The European Union has provided initial funding of €10 million for the establishment and operation of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. This was announced by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.
The funds are intended to finance the activities of a tribunal that will investigate the role of the Russian Federation’s top political and military leadership in planning and carrying out a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. According to Kallas, the tribunal was created to bring to justice those who bear primary responsibility for the war.
‘The Russian leadership is responsible for this war — and must be held accountable. There can be no impunity,’ Kaja Kallas wrote on social network X.
The special tribunal was established on the basis of an agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe signed in June 2025. It is located in The Hague (Netherlands). The tribunal focuses specifically on the crime of aggression — a ‘leadership’ crime for which those who make key political and military decisions are responsible.
According to experts and representatives of international organisations, the investigation may focus on about 20 high-ranking Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other members of the top leadership.
The creation of such a tribunal is seen as an important step in the international community’s efforts to combat impunity for waging an aggressive war in Europe — the largest since World War II.