Ukraine is continuing its work to create a Special International Tribunal (SIT). Anton Korynevych, a Foreign Ministry special envoy and member of the SIT ad hoc working group, told Kyiv Post that the tribunal to prosecute Russia could be operational before the end of the war.
“I am sure there is no need to wait until the end of the war. As a matter of fact, we have already started acting on it. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the President, and the best international lawyers worldwide who support this idea have been working on it since the end of February [when Russia invaded]. Theoretically speaking, we are ready to launch it any day now,” said Korynevych.
He said that negotiations with international partners who should also support the SIT are currently under way. “How much time it may take depends on the political will of our allies,” Korynevych added.
However, he refused to name the countries that are currently in talks. “As of now, we have countries that support this initiative and are ready to keep working with us. Tradition has it that we do not list them publicly as this is a sensitive matter,” Korynevych explained.
He also noted that Euro-Atlantic countries are far more accepting of the idea of the tribunal, “but we are not bound by regional limits. We are ready to work with any state”.
The SIT is a special court that will look into crimes of aggression committed by representatives of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
