European Parliament backs special tribunal to prosecute Russia's leaders over Ukraine war
Parliament backed a tribunal for Russia’s top officials, then tied sanctions relief to a peace deal that is negotiated and fully carried out.
The European Parliament gave overwhelming backing to a special tribunal for Russia’s leadership over the war in Ukraine, approving the resolution on April 30 by 446 votes to 63, with 52 abstentions. The vote sharpened the legal case against Moscow’s war of aggression and extended the accountability frame beyond the battlefield, naming senior political, military and judicial figures, including members of the Russian State Duma and the Constitutional Court.
At the center of the plan is a tribunal meant to prosecute the crime of aggression, the charge that existing courts have struggled to reach in the Ukraine case. Parliament said it supports rapid operationalization of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine and wants every EU member state to join. The move follows the June 25, 2025 agreement signed by Ukraine and the Council of Europe, and the European Commission’s March 24, 2026 proposal for the EU to join as a founding member through an Enlarged Partial Agreement.
The tribunal is designed to fill a jurisdiction gap. The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Ukraine, but it cannot currently exercise jurisdiction over the crime of aggression in this situation under the Rome Statute’s jurisdictional rules. Parliament also reaffirmed support for the ICC investigation and reminded EU states of their obligation to arrest and surrender people subject to ICC warrants if those people are on their territory.
The resolution also made clear that the tribunal is not meant to stop at symbolism. Parliament said accountability should extend to those who helped direct or enable the aggression, and it called for sanctions to remain in place until a peace agreement is not only signed but fully implemented. It also said sanctions should be expanded to cover individuals and entities whose decisions enabled or contributed to serious crimes against Ukrainians.
Brussels is building a wider legal and reparations structure around that position. In a separate vote, members backed the proposed International Claims Commission for Ukraine, which is intended to compensate civilian victims. The Council of Europe says the Register of Damage for Ukraine has already recorded more than 45,000 claims, while separate reporting puts the total submitted at more than 86,000. Thirty-four states and the EU have signed the convention establishing the claims commission.
Parliament also praised the work of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, Eurojust and civil-society investigators. The result is a tighter accountability architecture that could outlast the war itself, and, if enforced, turn Europe’s legal response from condemnation into consequences.
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