Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the potential merits of establishing a special tribunal on the crime of aggression following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; and if he will take steps to ensure that such a tribunal has sufficient international legitimacy at the UN General Assembly.

The UK supports work towards establishing a Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine as a means of promoting accountability for atrocities in Ukraine. The UK has played an active role in discussions with Ukraine and close partners in the "core group" working to progress this commitment. On 3-4 February, senior UK legal experts participated in a meeting in Brussels that made progress on technical elements of the legal instruments for the establishment of the Special Tribunal. We are working to ensure the instruments are legally sound and therefore able to attract broad international support. We welcome Ukraine's intent to finalise an agreement with the Council of Europe (CoE), enabling the Special Tribunal to make full use of the CoE's existing infrastructure.