Good day to everybody. Today is a special day, a day of celebration for every European and that is why I am very happy that we are here together with the European foreign ministers celebrating this European day with you. 

It marks the day of peace and, of course, this is what we want also for Ukraine. Our presence today marks the unity of an unwavering solidarity with Ukraine. If you stand for peace, you should stand here in Ukraine, not in Moscow today. 

Russia is still waging the most devastating war since 1945 here in Ukraine. Eighty years ago, Hitler bombed Ukraine. Today, Putin is doing the same. Russia shows no interest in peace, whereas Ukraine has already over two months ago said and agreed to [an] unconditional ceasefire. There can be, therefore, only one answer: to really force Russia also to want peace, and that means we need to increase the pressure on Russia and also strengthen Ukraine so that Ukraine can defend itself. 

This week we proposed the 17th package of sanctions and we hope to adopt this in the Foreign Affairs Council this month. We have just made available €1 billion for the Ukrainian defence industry so that Ukraine could better defend itself. This funding will directly support Ukrainian defence companies and secure additional military aid over the coming months, which are critical. We have made clear that the EU stands ready to contribute to security guarantees and building military and civilian missions and defence industrial support. On Monday, we have a major defence forum in Brussels, which is meant to link up the Ukraine defence industry with ours.

I want to pay tribute to Ukraine's efforts in the accession process. I think you have made good steps, and I also think that, especially during the war, it is definitely very hard. So, I really commend you on this part. 

We are here in Lviv today, and this also holds a very symbolic meaning. So, it is where the lawyers Raphael Lemkin and Hersch Lauterpacht studied. Lemkin is the father of the Genocide Convention, and Lauterpacht is the architect behind the concept of crime against humanity. Both faced great resistance in having their warnings heard, especially before the Second World War. In addition to their contributions to the international law, I want to also acknowledge Professor Philippe Sands. His early proposal for a tribunal for crime of aggression laid the groundwork for the current efforts on accountability.

Today, we take very decisive steps towards justice for Ukraine. After this meeting, we will provide our final political endorsements to establish a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression. This tribunal will ensure that those most responsible for the aggression against Ukraine are held accountable. Every inch of Russia's war has been documented. We are living in an era of information. It has been documented and there is no space for impunity. 

Russia's aggression cannot go unpunished, and therefore establishing this tribunal is extremely important. I thank all those countries who have contributed, and also invite all additional countries of the world who are standing for peace and justice to join these efforts.

Q&A

Q. Obviously, this is a European initiative, which is great, but is the Court really feasible without U.S. involvement as well?

The United States has been contributing two and a half years to put this tribunal together, so they have been part of this initiative and core group to develop this further, and we are very grateful for that. Right now, they are not part, but I am assuming that sooner rather than later, they will join again.

Q. [Question in Ukrainian]

First, I know it's confusing, but I will, because in the English translation, it was EU Council, but it's actually Council of Europe, so that is, you know, but it's confusing. I agree. We have European Council, we have the Council of Europe, but [it] is Council of Europe that is taking this forward, because that is broader than only the European Union countries. It is much, much broader, and I think this is extremely important. 

Now, to the question that was directed to me on the EU accession process, there are two sides. One is Ukraine that has to do its homework, and the other is the European Union, who also has to do its homework. And, of course, we are working with our Hungarian and other colleagues to have these decisions made. And I am also very happy that Ukraine is meeting with the Hungarians to solve the issues that they are presenting [to see] what are the problems there. So hopefully, we get some room of development, because if the candidate country like Ukraine or the other candidate countries have done their homework, it shouldn't be bilateral issues that keep on taking the next steps. It's not only important for Ukraine, it is also important for Europe that this enlargement process or, as we have been saying, unification process will continue.

So, there are obstacles on the way, but we are working with them.

Q. I would ask you all to share your expectations. When do you expect that justice can be served under this tribunal? Because it is up to tribunal itself, but can we expect that in 2026, we can have some first decisions or first investigations? And if you can elaborate on the fact that, in fact, we don't expect Russian officials including Putin to sit on a bench like behind bars. They were not allowed. How would you prove to Ukrainian people that it's still important? And small detail about Hungary and our accession. It is part of us winning peace, and it is also part of a peace plan. Trump's peace plan, which Orbán is currently breaking. Do you have a plan B if he is still there? 

So, question about when. Of course, now the Council of Europe is setting this all up and how much time it takes. But I would not give any concrete date, although I have read in the materials that this should be already by 2026, so hopefully the processes will start then, because the investigation is already ongoing. Like I said, this is the most documented war because everything has been documented by pictures [and] videos. We have done this work from the start when this war started. We provided European technical help to document these crimes. So, that is not the problem. The investigation is already going on.

But what I want to stress is that it has two sides. One is the war crimes that have been documented. But we are talking about the special tribunal for the crime of aggression. Crime of aggression is a leadership crime. That means those people who have decided to start the war without the leadership crime, there wouldn't be any war crimes either. Therefore, it is extremely important that this tribunal is for the crimes of aggression. 

Now, your question, of course, the leadership. The lawyers have been working on this. First, can they be tried in absentia? Yes, they can. But, of course, the limitation is that as long as they are in office, it has limitations. But I think the important signal is that everything can be ready, and nobody is behind the law because this is important. Without justice, you can't really have peace. I think this is an extremely important signal also to the Ukrainian people. 

We are also contemplating Plan B and Plan C. But right now, the focus is on Plan A, which is to get everybody on board. Because when that doesn't work, then we are also working for Plan B. But I will not reveal them because we are still in the process of Plan A.

Link to the video:https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-271844