President's Office denies that Ukraine allegedly agreed to establish a 'hybrid' tribunal

Ukraine did not agree to the creation of a so-called "hybrid tribunal" for Russia.

Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Andrii Smyrnov said this.

He said that only the model of a tribunal based on a UN General Assembly resolution and an agreement between Ukraine and the UN is acceptable to Ukraine.

"Ukraine will not agree to any hybrid format of the tribunal, which considers its creation as part of the Ukrainian judicial system," Smyrnov said. 

There are several reasons for this: the need for constitutional amendments that cannot be implemented during martial law and the risk of "narrowing the legal assessment of the crime of aggression" to the level of two countries. 

"We do not need a tribunal decision in the name of Ukraine — we need it in the name of the civilised world."

The day before, the media reported that Ukraine had allegedly made concessions to its partners and agreed to the format of a "hybrid tribunal."

Establishing an internationalised tribunal in another country with a trusted legal system is only one of the options that emerged during discussions with partners.

The next meeting of the coalition to establish the tribunal will take place in September 2023. 

The format of the international tribunal for Russia may be determined by the end of the year.

It will be recalled that the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine was opened in The Hague. This is one of the steps toward establishing an international tribunal.