Ukraine's first deputy foreign minister, CoE secretary general discuss aftermath of Russian aggression

The Council of Europe should play a leading role in establishing a special tribunal to hold Russia accountable for its crime of aggression against Ukraine.

Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova said this at a meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejcinovic Buric, in Kyiv, Ukrinform reports, citing the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

The key topics of their conversation were the role and place of the Council of Europe in overcoming the consequences of Russian aggression, as well as the course of preparations for the 4th Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government.

Dzhaparova said the issue of Russia's responsibility for crimes committed in Ukraine should occupy an important place in the decisions of the summit, particularly the creation of a special tribunal and a compensation mechanism for the reimbursement of damages caused by aggression.

"It is important to ensure the inevitability of punishment for those guilty of war crimes. This is our joint duty to those who have died at the hands of the Russian aggressor since 2014. The Council of Europe should play a leading role in the creation of a special tribunal to hold Russia accountable for the crime of aggression," Dzhaparova said.

Both parties paid special attention to the prospects for creating a register of damages caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine, which will be an important step on the way to creating a comprehensive compensation mechanism.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, 50 states and international organizations signed the Bucha Declaration on Russia's responsibility for crimes committed in Ukraine.