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The President: The crime of aggression against Ukraine requires international legal response

President of the Republic of Lithuania

May 09, 2023

On Tuesday, President Gitanas Nausėda remotely addressed the participants of a summit held at the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on creating a special tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

"It is truly unfortunate that on Europe Day, a day of great hope for peace and unity, we continue witnessing Russia's unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine," the President said.

According to Gitanas Nausėda, the war launched by Russia has demonstrated, like no other act in recent years, its absolute disrespect for the fundamental principles of international law, including the rules on the conduct of war, the protection of civilians and other vulnerable groups.

The President welcomed the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Vladimir Putin. However, he pointed out that international prosecution has so far been limited to one specific crime - the deportation of children. Meanwhile, the crime of aggression, which is the starting point for all other Russian crimes in Ukraine, remains outside the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. Therefore, according to the President, it is necessary to set up a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, which would complement the role of the International Criminal Court in seeking legal accountability for Russia's political and military leadership.

"This decision is about every one of us and about our hope to live in a peaceful world," the President said. "To defend the international rule of law, we must know that the crime of aggression, from now on, will always meet the necessary international legal response." Gitanas Nausėda expressed his hope that the international community will not fail to deliver on the promises made to the brave people of Ukraine.

Among those who addressed the virtual summit of the Core Group on the Special Tribunal were the Presidents of Lithuania, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, North Macedonia, and Moldova, as well as the Prime Ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, Croatia, Liechtenstein, the President of the European Commission, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Romania, Greece, Portugal, and Guatemala.