The Parliamentary Assembly denounces Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine and advocates for the establishment of a comprehensive and enduring peace.

17-10-2023

Sofía Medina Sánchez 

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher 

Global Human Rights Defence 

On the 13th of October, PACE expressed its strong condemnation of Russia’s ongoing aggressive war against Ukraine. They emphasised the critical importance of upholding Council of Europe standards and called for a unified effort to halt this aggression and secure a comprehensive, just, and enduring peace. This peace should ensure that the rule of law prevails over the rule of force. The Assembly, adopting a resolution based on Iulian Bulai's report, stresses that, in order to reach peace, they must “support the victory of Ukraine militarily, financially, politically, and diplomatically at both bilateral and multilateral levels”. It also entails recognising the nature, extent, and severity of the crimes committed by the Russian Federation.

Following from this, the PACE has identified in its resolution several key priorities and recommendations such as: acknowledging the Great Famine (Holodomor) as an act of genocide and pass resolutions to commemorate its victims, encouraging the countries represented in the Conference of Participants of the Register of Damage to expedite efforts to operationalise the Register of Damage as swiftly as possible, advocate for the establishment of an international compensation mechanism for the victims and push for the creation of a Special International Tribunal for the crime of aggression, offer support to international bodies such as the International Criminal Court and the Joint Investigation Team in their efforts to investigate and prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity that have occurred or were ordered in Ukraine since the onset of aggression in 2014 and extending the broadest possible support for President Zelenskyy's Peace Formula and help Ukraine in its defending its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

In conclusion, the Parliamentary Assembly commits to maintaining an open dialogue and cooperation with democratic opposition forces in Russia and Belarus that uphold Council of Europe values. These forces must adhere to specific criteria, support Ukraine's victory, respect the territorial integrity of Council of Europe member States, and publicly condemn Russian aggression.

Sources and further Reading: 

Council of Europe, Newsroom, Parliamentary Assembly condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine, calls for comprehensive, just and lasting peace, 13 October 2023 https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/parliamentary-assembly-condemns-russian-aggression-against-ukraine-calls-for-comprehensive-just-and-lasting-peace

Council of Europe Portal, Newsroom, PACE to create a ‘contact platform’ for dialogue with representatives of Russian democratic opposition forces, 10 October 2023:  https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/pace-to-create-a-contact-platform-for-dialogue-with-representatives-of-russian-democratic-opposition-forces