Creation of special tribunal for Russia should be mandatory element of peace formula - Yermak

Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, has said that in order to achieve peace, a special tribunal must be created to hold Russia's leadership accountable for aggression against Ukraine, and not only the perpetrators of Russian war crimes.

He stated this while opening the discussion “Criminal Prosecution for the Crime of Aggression Committed in Ukraine” in Washington, Ukrinform reports, referring to the press service of the head of state.

“Peace is a universal value. I am sure that all of you appreciate it, and there is no such person and no such people who do not dream of peace when someone destroys it. But peace is impossible without justice. And justice is impossible without judiciary,” Yermak said.

That is why, in his opinion, a mandatory element of the peace formula is the creation of a special tribunal for Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine.

“The crime of aggression is the alpha and omega of the war. To start a criminal and unprovoked war is to open the door to thousands of crimes of various levels committed during hostilities and in the occupied territory,” Yermak said.

He added that it is not enough to find and prosecute everyone who has committed war crimes.

“Those in whose heads the hell of aggression has ripened must also be punished. Who gave the order to start this criminal war and who organized the terror. This is what justice is. That is why Ukraine appeals to you and the United States of America to support our efforts to establish a special tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression,” Yermak said.

The discussion "Criminal Prosecution for the Crime of Aggression Committed in Ukraine" was held by two authoritative U.S. think tanks - the United States Institute of Peace and the Atlantic Council. It was attended by the leadership of the U.S. Department of State, members of the House of Representatives, senators and representatives of the largest think tanks, including Human Rights Watch, Open Society, etc.