On Wednesday, June 25, Kyiv officially entered into an agreement with the Council of Europe to establish a Special Tribunal dedicated to investigating crimes of aggression against Ukraine.

“Justice takes time, but it is essential,” stated President Volodymyr Zelensky during the signing ceremony with Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić.

A month prior, the European Union expressed its support for the tribunal's establishment in Lviv.

But what exactly constitutes a crime of aggression? What functions will the Special Tribunal serve? How does it differ from the International Criminal Court?

Here are eight key points to understand about what the tribunal can and cannot do.

What is a crime of aggression?

The International Criminal Court defines a crime of aggression as “the use of armed force by a state against the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or independence of another state.”

This means that the leadership of the state that initiated the invasion will be held accountable.

This crime is one of four main offenses outlined in the Rome Statute: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and ultimately, the crime of aggression.