Tribunal backing and a Victory Day ceasefire offer: Europe and Moscow's positions
A look back at the diplomatic and legal signals that framed the war in Ukraine as of 5 May 2026.
What were the competing signals shaping the war in Ukraine on 5 May 2026? Two developments from the days before that date set out the poles: a European call for accountability and sanctions, and a Russian offer of a short ceasefire.
Parliament backs a special tribunal
On 1 May 2026, the European Parliament adopted a resolution supporting the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders for crimes related to the war in Ukraine. The resolution also called for sanctions to remain in place until a peace agreement is fully implemented.
The proposed court is the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. It is conceived as an ad hoc international criminal tribunal aimed at prosecuting individuals responsible for the Russian invasion under the legal concept of crimes of aggression, as a complement to the existing International Criminal Court investigation in Ukraine. The invasion has been described as violating international law from the outset, and has also been called a crime of aggression under international criminal law and under some countries' domestic criminal codes, including those of Ukraine and Russia, although procedural obstacles exist to prosecutions under those laws.
Putin's Victory Day offer
Earlier, on 29 April 2026, Russian president Vladimir Putin offered a ceasefire for Victory Day on 9 May during a phone call with U.S. president Donald Trump.
The offer came against the backdrop of several rounds of peace talks since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Putin has sought recognition of all occupied land as Russian, guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO, curtailment of Ukraine's military and the lifting of sanctions. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sought a ceasefire, full withdrawal of Russian troops, the return of prisoners and kidnapped Ukrainian children, prosecution of Russian leaders for war crimes, and security guarantees.
Two tracks, one date
Seen together, the two developments reflected different approaches. The European Parliament linked sanctions to full implementation of a peace deal and pressed for prosecution of Russian leaders, a demand that also features among Kyiv's stated aims. The Kremlin's proposal, by contrast, was a ceasefire tied to a single holiday, put forward in a call with Washington.
