Finland has joined the core group working on the creation of a Special Tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

"On 2 February, 2023, Finland joined a group created to support Ukraine in ensuring Russia's liability for its crime of aggression," the ministry said, recalling that core group now includes 19 countries and the EU's foreign policy service, in addition to Ukraine and Finland.

"Supporting and strengthening the law-based world order is one of the priorities of Finland's foreign policy. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a blatant violation of the UN Charter... War crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression are the most serious international crimes that affect the entire international community and pose a threat to global peace and security," the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland emphasised.

The ministry noted that war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine are being investigated on a large scale domestically in the country and around the world, and Finland supports both the International Criminal Court's investigations and Ukrainian experts.

"[However,] Russia's liability for the illegal invasion of Ukraine and its consequences will be incomplete if the crime of aggression is left out of the picture. Finland is willing to help Ukraine find the most effective ways to bring the perpetrators to justice," said Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.

The communiqué also stated that only persons who, by virtue of their position and authority, exercise control and can direct the policy or military actions of a particular state can be guilty of the crime of aggression.

At the end of January, the group on the creation of a special tribunal met in Prague, Czech Republic, with 20 countries participating.