France and Austria have joined the Special Tribunal for Russian Crimes against Ukraine

Two more countries — France and Austria — have joined the Special Tribunal, which will investigate the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

This was reported by Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha.

Thus, the total number of countries has increased to 20, which will allow the document on the legal registration of the tribunal to be submitted to the vote of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in May (it will be held in Moldova).

France joined the Extended Partial Agreement on the Special Tribunal on April 15, Austria on April 16. Among the countries that joined the tribunal, 19 are member states of the Council of Europe.

Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression of the Russian Federation

Ukraine insists on the creation of a Special Tribunal, since the International Criminal Court and other similar institutions cannot, at this stage, consider cases concerning the crime of aggression.

The heads of foreign ministries of European countries and the EU leadership expressed political support for the launch of the Special Tribunal on May 9, 2025. On June 25, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset signed an agreement on its establishment in Strasbourg. The Statute of the Special Tribunal is also ready.

In January 2026, the European Union transferred the first €10 million for the establishment of the Special Tribunal, and in March it began the process to become one of the founding members of the tribunal.

In total, the following countries joined the Special Tribunal: Austria, Portugal, Iceland, Poland, France, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

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