U.S. role in special tribunal against Russia not pivotal — Ukrainian human rights leader

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

“The U.S. is indeed a strong ally of Ukraine in collecting information and assisting in the matter of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. However, they are not the key players in this process. Their involvement is, of course, desirable, as is the involvement of several other countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. These countries are providing practical support in returning Ukrainian children. Without the U.S., this process will not stop. It’s also important to note that the main instances of illegal deportation of Ukrainian children took place in 2022. Since then, a lot has happened, and the information the U.S. provided about these cases was also received by the International Criminal Court, as well as by Ukraine,” Pavlichenko explained.

Pavlichenko also noted that the U.S. could not simply delete the information already gathered about Russia’s war crimes.

“To say that the U.S. played a unique role in collecting information about the deportation of Ukrainian children would be an exaggeration. I also wouldn’t say that the information on this issue has been removed or lost—since that’s not something done by just pushing a button. In my view, it’s more likely a matter of political positioning,” he added.

• On April 20, 2024, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe instructed the Secretary General to begin preparing documents that would support consultations with Ukraine regarding the creation of a special tribunal on Russia’s crimes.
• In February 2025, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, expressed hope that the Special Tribunal for Russia would be launched this year. For this, a structure must be created and resources allocated.
• On March 19, Reuters reported that Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. would call on President Donald Trump’s administration to resume a program that helps track thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia and to impose sanctions to punish those responsible for violating their rights.