Portugal may join the tribunal on Russia's aggression against Ukraine
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga thanked Portugal for its willingness to join the Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
Andriy Sybiga wrote about this on the social media platform X.
“I am grateful to Portugal for its willingness to join the Enlarged Partial Agreement to effectively launch the work of the Special Tribunal for investigating crimes of aggression against Ukraine. This important step demonstrates Portugal’s commitment to the principles of accountability and justice,” the foreign minister noted.
Thus, 15 member states of the Council of Europe have already expressed their readiness to join the agreement. One more country is needed to initiate the voting procedure—this will allow the issue to be brought before the Committee of Ministers meeting in Chisinau in May.
Among the countries that have supported the establishment of the tribunal are Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, as well as Costa Rica outside of Europe.
Sibiga emphasized that this is not just about supporting Ukraine, but about defending fundamental principles.
He called on European and other countries to join the initiative to hold perpetrators accountable for the crime of aggression for the first time since the Nuremberg Tribunal.
As a reminder, during the G7 summit in France, Ukraine received a signal that another country was ready to join the agreement on establishing a Special Tribunal on Russia’s crime of aggression.
Recall that on March 25, 2026, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmér Stenergård announced the official confirmation of her country’s participation in the Agreement on the Establishment of a Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression.
On March 25, the European Commission adopted a proposal to initiate the process of the EU joining the ranks of the founding members of the Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Once the member states approve this proposal, the European Commission will be able to announce the EU’s intention to join the Tribunal as a founding member. Thereafter, the EU will play a central role in the tribunal’s activities, including as a member of the Steering Committee that will oversee the Special Tribunal.
Earlier, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten stated the need to accelerate the process of establishing a special tribunal on Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called on the international community to urgently establish a special tribunal to hold the direct organizers and instigators of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine accountable.
