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The European Parliament has adopted a resolution demanding the creation of a special tribunal for the trial of Vladimir Putin, as well as Russia's political and military leadership, “ for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.”
The text was adopted by 472 votes in favour, 19 against with 33 abstentions.
«Parliament strongly believes that the establishment of a special tribunal would send a very clear signal to both Russian society and the international community that President Putin and the Russian leadership at large can be convicted for the crime of aggression in Ukraine. MEPs point out that it is no longer feasible for the Russian Federation under Putin’s leadership to return to business as usual with the west,» read a press release issued following the adoption of the resolution.
MEPs expect that the tribunal will be created in close cooperation with Ukraine and the international community.
The MEPs also stressed that the tribunal “must have jurisdiction to investigate not only Vladimir Putin and the political and military leadership of Russia, but also Aliaksandr Lukashenka and his cronies in Belarus.”
As noted by German outlet Deutsche Welle, the problem remains the immunity that now applies to both Vladimir Putin and Lukashenka, as well as the fact that Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, which means the body is essentially paralyzed on any issue related to the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had already called on the international community to strip Russia of its permanent membership in the UN Security Council and expel it from all international organizations. In December, lawmakers introduced a resolution in the US Congress calling on President Joe Biden to remove Russia from the UN Security Council in order to weaken Moscow's influence. In a conversation with The Insider, international criminal law expert Gleb Bogush explained that legally excluding Russia from the UN Security Council was unrealistic.