In three resolutions adopted on Wednesday 26 June in Strasbourg, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe proposed a mechanism to set up a tribunal for Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine and called for international sanctions against Russia to be stepped up. It also proposed measures to counter Russian attempts to erase Ukrainian cultural identity.
These texts are part of the Council of Europe’s policy of engagement initiated by the exclusion of Russia from March 2022, reinforced by the Declaration adopted by the Heads of State and Government at the Reykjavik Summit in May 2023, and confirmed by the new Secretary General, Alain Berset.
“Ukraine will remain the top priority”, he said.
With regard to the creation of a tribunal against Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine, the Assembly recommends that it be established on the basis of an agreement between the Council of Europe and Ukraine, supported by an enlarged partial agreement open to the 46 member states, non-member countries and international organisations.
“This is the best feasible option in terms of legal basis and political legitimacy” for judging Russian political and military leaders, the Assembly believes.
It also reiterated its call for Russian assets (not just profits) to be seized and transferred to an international compensation fund for Ukraine.
On the question of sanctions, the parliamentarians propose closing “gaps and loopholes” in the existing system by banning ships from the “shadow fleet” used by Russia to circumvent the oil price cap, tightening export controls and holding parent companies responsible for the actions of subsidiaries.
They described Russia’s systematic efforts to “erase” Ukrainian identity (Russification of children, rewriting of history textbooks, indoctrination and even militarisation of education, suppression of archives and destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage) as “war crimes and crimes against humanity”.
Links to the three resolutions: https://aeur.eu/f/cui ; https://aeur.eu/f/cuj ; https://aeur.eu/f/cuk (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)