Andriy Yermak: Fair punishment of Russia for its crimes will be a prerequisite for the safety and security of all mankind

President of Ukraine

21 August 2023 - 18:19

Bringing to justice all those responsible for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine will be a prerequisite for the security and safety of humanity, so all civilized states that respect international law should join the process of establishing a Special International Tribunal. This was stated by Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak during an online speech at the conference "Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Justice to be Served", which is taking place in Kyiv.

"We demand justice for every tortured and killed Ukrainian, for every destroyed house, for every tear of a Ukrainian child. Every criminal will have to stand trial. Our law enforcement agencies and the International Criminal Court are working on this," Andriy Yermak emphasized.

He reminded that accountability and reparations are among the points of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula.

The Head of the President's Office noted that the culprits of war crimes against Ukraine include both the perpetrators, including Russian soldiers who came to kill on Ukrainian land and operators of Russian missile equipment, and those who committed the fundamental crime of aggression.

According to him, for the world order and international law to prevail, Ukraine needs the help of partners and experts.

"It is up to you to decide how quickly to bring to justice these bloodthirsty people who commit such unthinkable large-scale acts of barbarism in the XXI century. In order to punish Russia's top political leadership, a Special International Tribunal must be established. And Ukraine, together with its partner countries, is doing everything possible to achieve this," Andriy Yermak emphasized, addressing the participants.

According to the Head of the Presidential Office, Ukraine calls on all civilized countries to stand up for justice.

"And in this matter, we rely on the leadership of the entire civilized world. We need to break the chain of wars, coups, large-scale terrorist attacks, energy, food and nuclear blackmail, cyberattacks and political assassinations that Russia is bringing to the world. Other potential aggressors should know that punishment for such crimes will be inevitable. This is the most important prerequisite for the safety and security of all mankind," summarized Andriy Yermak.

Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Smyrnov, for his part, stated that the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine is the most horrific since World War II, and therefore requires the most severe punishment for all those involved, including the top military and political leadership of the aggressor country.

According to him, over the past year and a half, Ukraine has gained strong international support for the establishment of the tribunal, as evidenced by the adoption of a number of political decisions (PACE, European Parliament, EU Committee of Ministers, NATO Committee) ratified by many partner countries.

"The only issue that remains unresolved today and is still on our table is the model under which it will be operating," the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office emphasized.

Andriy Smyrnov said that the international Core Group coalition is currently considering three models for creating a special tribunal. He called on the conference participants to discuss each of them and determine which is the most desirable, authoritative and legitimate for bringing to justice those responsible for the aggression against Ukraine.

"We need to confidently move towards finalizing agreements with our key international partners on the form and model of this tribunal as soon as possible. Our citizens need this, our servicemen need this, this is a tribute to our women, brothers, sisters and children who were killed and unjustly punished," the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office emphasized.

For his part, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal emphasized the need to jointly create a legal mechanism to achieve justice and accountability that would reach all criminals, from organizers to direct perpetrators.

Denys Shmyhal also added that, in addition to punishment for crimes, Russia must also pay for all the destruction and damage caused by its aggression. According to him, Ukraine has proposed to the world the concept of an international compensation mechanism. The source of funds for compensation should be Russian frozen assets.

According to the head of government, 42 countries and the EU have joined the formation of an international register of losses. The structural elements of the compensation mechanism are to be finalized.

"It's about justice: convicting criminals and making them pay. These are two key things. The Ukrainian economy and infrastructure must be restored at the expense of the aggressor. Now we must all work together to set a precedent for judicial punishment of the perpetrators and a precedent for paying for the recovery. The world will become safe if we draw the right conclusions from Russian aggression," summarized Denys Shmyhal.

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