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EU Backs Aggression Tribunal, Unlocks €1.9 Billion From Frozen Russian Assets for Ukraine’s Defence

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Updated May 9, 2025, 07:01 PM

Foreign ministers from the European Union, the United Kingdom and other partner countries gathered in Lviv on 9 May to mark Europe Day and underline their support for Ukraine. Delegations from 35 states and the Council of Europe began the informal meeting by honouring fallen Ukrainian soldiers at Lychakiv Cemetery. The ministers approved the creation of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine, intended to prosecute President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials for launching the war. The court’s statute, backed by at least 37 governments, allows proceedings in absentia and is expected to be headquartered in Luxembourg once operational next year. Alongside the legal initiative, the EU announced almost €1.9 billion in additional military assistance financed by profits generated from frozen Russian central-bank assets. About €1 billion of this sum will be channelled through the European Peace Facility to place arms orders with Ukrainian manufacturers; Denmark, France and Italy signed the first agreement under the scheme, and Paris will direct part of the proceeds to maintain Caesar self-propelled howitzers already supplied to Kyiv. The new commitments build on a separate €1 billion payment the European Commission released on 8 May under its Extraordinary Resilience Assistance programme, also funded from Russian assets, to cover Ukraine’s critical budget needs. Germany’s new foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, used the trip to pledge an additional €40 million in humanitarian aid, while EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas hailed the day’s decisions as a historic demonstration of European unity.

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Sources

kyivindependent.com(3)pravda.com.ua(3)politico.eu(2)bfmtv.com(2)

David Lammy

@DavidLammy

We stand for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. And that means accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. That is why, alongside international partners, we support the establishment of a Special Tribunal. https://t.co/SvXPDvXJ19