Tsahkna: The international community wants to see Putin in court

TALLINN - On Friday, in the Moldovan capital of Chişinău, 36 countries, including Estonia, along with the European Union, confirmed their readiness to contribute to the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. According to Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, this broad support demonstrates that the international community will not allow the aggressor to escape punishment for violations of international law.

"Today, we took a historic step towards launching the special tribunal," said Tsahkna. "The support of 34 Council of Europe member states, Costa Rica, Australia, and the European Union sends an unequivocal message to the aggressor: his crimes are not forgotten, and all violations will have consequences. Impunity will not become the norm."

According to Tsahkna, work continues to expand the circle of supporters for the special tribunal beyond the Council of Europe. "The task of the international community is to continue applying comprehensive pressure on Russia. If Russia remains unpunished, it will only encourage new aggressions," he stressed.

The Foreign Minister added that countries must now domestically process the administrative agreement for the special tribunal so that the investigation into those responsible for the crime of aggression can begin as soon as possible. Estonia has already completed this process - in February of this year, the Riigikogu (Estonia's parliament) approved the agreement on establishing the administrative committee for the special tribunal for the crime of aggression.

The special tribunal for the crime of aggression is an independent international court to be established in The Hague based on an agreement between the Council of Europe and Ukraine. Its purpose is to investigate and prosecute those most responsible for committing the crime of aggression.

The founding documents for the special tribunal were drafted by a core group established in 2022, which included legal experts from 40 countries, including Estonia, as well as from the European Union and the Council of Europe. In June 2025, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the agreement to establish the special tribunal.