The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine: If Russia is not punished, the world will have many wars at the same time

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba called on the EU countries to achieve the establishment of a Special Tribunal on Russia.

As the Babel correspondent reports, Kuleba spoke at the high-level international conference at the European Parliament on Justice and Accountability for the War in Ukraine, where leading experts and politicians gathered to discuss Russiaʼs responsibility for crimes against Ukraine.

"Russia never had the right to attack not only Ukrainian civilians, but also Ukrainian military personnel. Because Ukraine has never threatened Russia. Russia was the one who attacked Ukraine. Russian bullets, bombs, drones and missiles destroyed and killed Ukrainian soldiers on Ukrainian soil for no reason. What legal procedure will ensure justice for thousands of Ukrainian soldiers who were killed by Russia? The correct answer is a special tribunal. We must overcome our different views and establish a fully functional tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. We have to find a way," Kuleba noted.

The minister emphasized that justice is crucial not only for stopping Russian aggression, but also for reducing the risk of future aggression against other countries.

"One of the main reasons why Putin continues to send thousands and thousands of Russian soldiers to the meat grinder is his hope that a war of attrition or a frozen conflict will allow him to escape responsibility for his crimes, primarily the crime of aggression. Putin wants others to talk to him, preferably through a never-ending process of finding new means, and implore him to show his will [...]. In short, he hopes that the need to talk to him will prevail over the need to punish him," the minister added.

According to Kuleba, only a special tribunal will allow Russia to be fully held accountable. This is necessary, because if "we allow Russia to escape justice, the world will be forced to deal with three, four or five wars at the same time."

• Ukraine has been working for more than a year and a half to create a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression and bring Vladimir Putin and other high-ranking Russian officials to justice there. In order to overcome Putinʼs presidential immunity, as well as for the tribunal to be legitimate, it must be supported by the worldʼs leading democracies, primarily the United States of America — and they are not against it, but not in the format that Ukraine needs.
• Ukraine insists on the International Tribunal, and the USA supports an internationalized tribunal, which will be part of the Ukrainian judicial system, but with the involvement of international prosecutors. National courts cannot override the immunity of the head of state, but the US does not want to set a precedent that leads to investigations into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.