On March 19–21, the members of the Core Group held their final, fourteenth meeting in Strasbourg.
The legal experts of the Core Group have completed technical work on three draft documents necessary to establish a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine: the draft bilateral agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe on the establishment of the Special Tribunal, the Special Tribunal’s draft statute and a draft enlarged partial agreement on the management of the Special Tribunal. These three documents will now be submitted for political consideration.
According to Iryna Mudra, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, this is a crucial step not only for the establishment of the Tribunal, but also for restoring confidence in international law in general.
“Over the past two years, this Group has been working to build a foundation for justice – for Ukraine and for the entire world. I want to express my special gratitude to those who hosted the Core Group's meetings: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Lithuania, Romania, Latvia, the European Union and the Council of Europe,” she said.
Iryna Mudra also emphasized the importance of achieving a just peace for Ukraine.
“Our war is waged not only on the battlefield – it is also a struggle for justice. For Ukraine, justice is not a subject for bargaining. It is a moral and legal necessity. Ukrainians seek peace more than any other nation in the world. A comprehensive, just and lasting peace. After all, a peace that is not just cannot last,” the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office concluded.