Canada endorses special tribunal to investigate Russia, Joly says

Canada is backing plans for a special tribunal to investigate war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly confirmed Thursday.

“There’s over 60,000 related crimes linked to the war and due to Russia’s aggression,” Joly said during a call with reporters.

The foreign minister was speaking from Kraków, Poland, days after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy. The world only learned of the get-together Tuesday, after Zelenskyy posted a video.

Joly said Canada will join like-minded countries that believe a special tribunal should investigate the alleged crimes. “The ICC [International Criminal Court] and ICJ [International Court of Justice] don’t necessarily have the mandate to be able to prosecute such a crime,” she added.

Right now, for example, the ICC does not have jurisdiction over crimes of aggression.

The United Kingdom also backs the special tribunal and is lobbying other G-7 countries to join.

The United States, Ukraine’s single-largest backer in weapon and military aid during the past year at war, has yet to decide if it will endorse the tribunal.

“From our perspective, the overarching priority is that the perpetrators of these crimes be held accountable for their actions and are unable to create such havoc and destruction with impunity,” Beth Van Schaack, the State Department’s ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice, told POLITICO in a statement. “We seek to remain in lockstep with Kyiv’s strongest partners as we consider this proposal, as well as all other options for holding Russia to account.”

One of those options includes developing an international center for the prosecution of the crime of aggression in Ukraine, “which would also preserve and store evidence for future trials,” the statement read.

The special tribunal would comprise a select group invited by Ukraine to map out a way to hold Russia criminally accountable for its wartime aggression, according to details shared by the U.K.

Joly told reporters that Zelenskyy didn’t use their meeting to ask for additional fighter jets, though she noted that President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a pact when they met in Mexico in January to continue to help defend Ukraine.

Joly is next headed to the Munich Security Conference, where she’ll meet with international counterparts to discuss global security threats.