Military support to Ukraine, establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, increased pressure on Russia and the process of Ukraine’s eurointegration – those were the main topics addressed during a Europe Day visit to Lviv, Ukraine, by the EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and senior officials from the EU and beyond. In total, delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe gathered in Lviv on 9 May.
“We all stand with Ukraine, both in its fight against the Russian aggression and on its path to full membership of the EU family of states. Today in Lviv, we celebrate Europe Day together with our Ukrainian friends. Ukraine is Europe, and Ukraine will become a member state of the European Union. This is what we promised Ukrainian soldiers, war veterans, children who have lost their parents, those buried in the Lviv Cemetery, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and all the Ukrainian people. It is Ukraine’s choice, and it is also the EU’s choice,” Foreign Minister Baiba Braže underlined.
EU ministers expressed their political support for the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. It will be an important mechanism of international law to ensure accountability for Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine.
“Latvia knows from its historical experience why achieving Russia’s accountability for the crime of aggression is crucial for peace and security – not only in Ukraine, but across all of Europe. Neither the Soviet nor the Russian authorities have ever faced international accountability for any crimes committed before, during and after the Second World War, including in the occupied Baltic states. Today, we see the consequences of this impunity. Impunity breeds future generations of war criminals, rapists, and murderers. Many of those can be seen marching on the Red Square today, leaving a bloody trail from their atrocities in Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, and many other Ukrainian cities.
Upon the establishment of an international tribunal, we will be able, for the first time since the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials, to bring to justice Russia’s senior officials for the crime of aggression. Work on the creation of the tribunal must be completed at the earliest possible date,” says Baiba Braže.
She also underlined that Latvia is an active member of the Core Group and, among other things, organised its 12th meeting in November 2024, which saw the adoption of the Vienna-Riga Statement.
At the Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg on 14 May, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Andriy Sybiha, is expected to forward a letter to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe requesting that the process be initiated of setting up a Special Tribunal under the auspices of the Council of Europe.
The High Representative Kaja Kallas announced the delivery of one billion euros (USD 1.1 billion) in EU assistance to the strengthening of Ukraine’s defence industry.
The officials, including during their visit to the Superhumans Center rehabilitation facility, met with surviving soldiers, and children who had lost their parents. The participants also paid tribute to the fallen Ukrainian soldiers who lie buried in Lviv’s Lychakiv Cemetery.
