Russia's crime of aggression must not be allowed to go unpunished - Rinkevics

RIGA - The crime of Russian aggression must not be allowed to go unpunished, stressed Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics during a meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset at the Munich Security Conference on Friday.

As the President's adviser Martins Dregeris informed LETA, during the meeting the parties discussed current issues related to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and the need to provide the necessary instruments to hold Russia accountable without delay.

During the meeting, the President of Latvia expressed support for the establishment of a special tribunal within the Council of Europe, which would provide an opportunity to hold Russia accountable for the crime of aggression in Ukraine.

In his view, in the current geopolitical situation, work should be actively pursued on the establishment of a special tribunal to hold Russia accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

"Russia must not be allowed to go unpunished for its crimes. At the same time, it is important that the principles and mechanisms for the creation of the tribunal are acceptable to Ukraine," Rinkevics stressed.

During the meeting, the two officials also discussed the next steps and work to promote the establishment of an international compensation mechanism through the introduction of a Register of Damages documenting the damage caused to Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression.