Ukraine expects additional Council of Europe member states to join the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression before a May ministerial meeting in Chișinău.
12:06 AM
Ukraine is working to expand international support for a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Russia, with officials expecting several more countries to join the agreement before a key Council of Europe meeting next month.
Mykola Tochytskyi, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, told Ukrinform that additional states may join the Enlarged Partial Agreement ahead of the Committee of Ministers meeting scheduled for May 15 in Chișinău. He noted that the gathering represents a shift from political support to practical implementation of decisions regarding Russian responsibility.
As of mid-April, 19 Council of Europe member states and Costa Rica have declared their intention to join the agreement. Portugal became the 15th Council of Europe member to commit to joining, according to Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. The countries that have expressed support include Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Ukraine has also expressed hope that the European Union will join as a separate institution. Sybiha emphasized that only one additional country is needed to meet the legal minimum required for a vote at the May ministerial meeting in Chișinău.
The Special Tribunal is designed to prosecute the crime of aggression committed against Ukraine. Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset stated in September 2025 that the organization is prepared to establish the tribunal and has committed to deploying an advanced team to make it operational. He noted that some countries need to make decisions and ratify the agreement through their national parliaments, a process that could take time.
Ukraine's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is focusing on intensifying efforts to establish the tribunal during the Assembly's spring plenary session, which began April 20 in Strasbourg. Ukrainian MP Yevheniia Kravchuk stated that the tribunal issue will be central to questions addressed to the Council of Europe Secretary General during the session.
The tribunal is part of a broader accountability infrastructure that also includes the International Claims Commission for Ukraine and the Register of Damages. The Netherlands will host both the Commission and the Special Tribunal. Tochytskyi noted that the Council of Europe serves as the principal architect and legal adviser for these mechanisms, with precedents including the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons established within the UN framework.
The process of establishing these compensation and legal mechanisms is proceeding on schedule, according to Tochytskyi, with the circle of participating states expected to continue expanding.
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