Strasbourg — At the invitation of Secretary General Alain Berset, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 25 June 2025.
This first visit comes as Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine intensifies, marked by some of the deadliest attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022.
President Zelenskyy will address the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, presided over by Ian Borg, Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism. The Committee of Ministers is finalising the legal instruments necessary to launch the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, following its endorsement of the Tribunal’s establishment at its annual meeting in Luxembourg on 14 May 2025.
“Aggression must not go unpunished,” said Secretary General Alain Berset. “This Special Tribunal is to deliver accountability and ensure that those who bear the greatest responsibility are held to account. Because without accountability, there can be no lasting peace — for Ukraine, and for Europe.”
At the invitation of the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Theodoros Rousopoulos, President Zelenskyy will also address the Assembly during its Summer Session, and answer questions from members. PACE has consistently called for full accountability for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
“We warmly welcome President Zelenskyy to Strasbourg, where he is among friends and allies,” said PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos. “I am proud that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was the first international body to call for a tribunal to try Russia’s political and military leaders for unleashing this terrible war, and the staggering suffering it has caused. Justice will be done.”
Ukraine has been the Council of Europe’s top priority from the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, which led to the exclusion of the Russian Federation on 16 March 2022.
Today, the Council of Europe’s commitment is anchored in justice, accountability, and support for Ukraine’s recovery. This includes the work of the European Court of Human Rights, the Register of Damage, and the future Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression.
The European Court of Human Rights is the only international court adjudicating violations of human rights in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The Register of Damage is fully operational, with more than 34,000 claims submitted to date.
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