Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday urged top European diplomats to support the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin.
“Today, right in front of you, is a decision: to establish a mechanism that can help prevent future wars through accountability. A decision to form a tribunal. And I urge you to support this decision politically,” Zelenskyy said in a videoconference address to a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Lviv, Ukraine’s western city.
Zelenskyy argued that a strong tribunal can and must “make any potential aggressor think twice,” and this can be accomplished “if everyone who values human life stands up for life.”
“I thank you and your countries for working together to build the justice infrastructure we need-to ensure accountability for this war, Russia’s war against Ukraine,” he said, stressing that Russia “will be held accountable” for the ongoing conflict.
Zelenskyy went on to say that this is a moral obligation for Europe and “everyone in the world who values human life.”
The Ukrainian president also argued that the desire to end the ongoing conflict, which is now in its fourth year, must be inside Russia, expressing his country’s gratitude for Europe’s defense support for Kyiv.
Throughout the centuries, “reckless, misguided changes have shaken and even broken Europe” multiple times. And now, at this watershed moment in history, “it is vital for all of us, for every nation, that Europe does not break apart again. Not this time,” he explained.
Delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe gathered in Lviv earlier on Friday to discuss further support for Ukraine and the proposed tribunal. The meeting coincided with Russia’s annual Victory Day military parade in Moscow, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II.