Leaders across Europe were on their way to Iceland early Tuesday for a rare summit of the Council of Europe. Which will renew its support for member state Ukraine and denounce ousted Russia for inflicting conflict on its neighbour.
After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stocked up on military hardware promises during a long weekend of diplomatic hobnobbing with Europe’s major leaders. The two-day summit of Europe’s main human rights body will focus on providing legal and judicial means to go after the Kremlin.
By the end of the summit on Wednesday, leaders hope to have the outlines of a mechanism in place that will keep track of all the damage done by Russian forces. So that Moscow may be held accountable for compensation to victims afterwards. They hope the US, which has observer status at the summit, will also support that approach.
“The register is just one of a number of international initiatives established to ensure accountability for crimes committed in Ukraine,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated.
The Council also wants to ensure Russia is held accountable for many crimes committed during the invasion.
“I will strongly support the establishment of a dedicated tribunal to prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated. Plans for a similar court in The Hague have yet to materialise.
In Kyiv, words of solidarity were no match for Moscow’s military strength. Which unleashed an aggressive air campaign on the city employing drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.
Diplomacy sought a counterpoint in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, with keynote remarks by Sunak, von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
It was unclear whether Zelenskyy, who was in the UK on Monday, was returning home or continuing on to Iceland. During a triumphant three-day tour of Europe, European leaders offered him an arsenal of missiles, tanks, and drones. To replace Ukraine’s weaponry supply in front of a long-awaited spring onslaught.
There will be no escape from Ukraine’s plight during the two-day Council of Europe summit in Strasbourg. It has been a protector of human rights and democracy. The rule of law on the African continent since its founding in 1949, with varying degrees of success. The need has never been greater than it is today.
The meeting will also seek to address the suffering of children who have been relocated from Ukraine to Russia as a result of the invasion. In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest order for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes. Accusing him of personal responsibility for kidnapping Ukrainian children. Another official has been charged as well.
Russians have been accused of deporting Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-held territory. And raising them as their own since the beginning of the war. Thousands of children were taken from schools and orphanages during Russia’s takeover of eastern Ukraine, and their whereabouts are unknown.