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The president can only be prosecuted if he is no longer in office

by AI | 09.May 2025 | Europe in brief AI

The Russian troika, President Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, can only be prosecuted for their role in the war against Ukraine when they are no longer in office. This is one of the agreements established for the ‘aggression tribunal’ for the main perpetrators of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian president Vladimir Putin. Photo: Sergei Guneyev/Sputnik Kremlin Pool via AP/dpa

LVIV (ANP) – On Friday afternoon, the statutes of the independent international tribunal were officially ratified in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, with signatures from EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sybiha.

A large number of EU foreign ministers were present, including those from Germany and France. The Dutch minister Caspar Veldkamp (Foreign Affairs) was absent. The Netherlands has advocated for the establishment of the tribunal and would like to host it in The Hague.

The tribunal is aimed at prosecuting the crime of Russian aggression. It concerns individuals who ordered the invasion of Ukraine and commanded the military action. “We are talking about the military and political leaders who caused the invasion, not about individual war crimes by soldiers,” says an EU source.

In addition to the troika, there are about twenty to thirty Russians on the list of suspects. The trial against the troika can only begin once they are no longer in office. “Immunity is a temporary suspension of the process as long as the person is in office,” emphasizes the source.

The tribunal can impose prison sentences of up to thirty years, but also life imprisonment if this “is justified by the extreme seriousness of the crime,” says the source. Additionally, the tribunal can seize assets and impose fines. The proceeds will be deposited into a compensation fund for Ukrainian victims.

These crimes of Russian aggression are being investigated in the tribunal, which will consist of international judges and prosecutors. The preliminary investigation and evidence gathering is conducted by the International Centre for the Prosecution of Aggression (ICPA) in The Hague. It has already collected a lot of evidence.

Trials can be conducted in the absence of the suspect. If a suspect later comes forward, they have the right to a new trial.

The tribunal may start next year.

(May 9, 2025)