25 June 2025
PACE Adopts Resolutions in Support of Ukraine: Crimea Is Ukraine, Establishing the Tribunal Is an International Duty
On 24 June 2025, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted two important resolutions that strengthen international support for Ukraine amid the ongoing armed aggression by the Russian Federation.
In the resolution “Legal and Human Rights Aspects of the Russian Federation’s Aggression against Ukraine,” the Parliamentary Assembly reaffirmed that Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine and that any occupation of Ukrainian territories cannot be considered legitimate. It emphasized that exerting pressure on Ukraine to recognize the temporary occupation constitutes a direct violation of international law. The Assembly expressed support for the establishment of a Special International Tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The resolution also recognizes the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children as an element of the crime of genocide, as well as a war crime and a crime against humanity.
The resolution classifies the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine as a crime of aggression, constituting a gross violation of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter. Belarus and North Korea are identified as accomplices in this crime for providing territory, weapons, and participating in hostilities. Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, torture, executions of prisoners of war, sexual violence, and deportations are recognized as large-scale war crimes. The Assembly condemned Russia’s policy of systemic colonization of occupied territories, including programs like Zemskyi Doctor and Zemskyi Teacher, aimed at altering the ethnic composition of the population. It noted that Russia’s public rhetoric contains elements of genocidal intent. The Assembly also recognized that Russia’s frozen state assets may be used as a source of reparations and are considered a legitimate international countermeasure. It further emphasized the need to establish a comprehensive international compensation mechanism covering damages inflicted since 2014.
In its second adopted resolution, “Support for Political Negotiations to Enforce the Exchange and Release of Prisoners of War,” the Parliamentary Assembly highlighted the plight of thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war held by the Russian Federation. These individuals are often detained without any information provided to their families, denied medical assistance, held in inhumane conditions, and subjected to torture. The resolution also emphasizes that the Russian Federation unlawfully holds thousands of civilian hostages, including children forcibly relocated from occupied territories. Such actions are recognized as systematic violations of the Geneva Conventions.
The adoption of the resolutions was the result of extensive joint efforts involving the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Permanent Representation of Ukraine to the Council of Europe, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Ukraine expresses its sincere gratitude for the solidarity, principled stance, and political will reflected in the adopted documents.