Leaders of 46-nation Council of Europe meet in Iceland as Ukraine war continues

The leaders of the 46-nation Council of Europe (CoE) met on Tuesday in Iceland to show their support for Ukraine as the war between Ukrainian and Russian forces continues.

European leaders will attend a two-day summit in Iceland. It is the fourth summit of the Council of Europe (CoE). The leaders of the 46-nation of CoE will discuss emerging threats in and outside Europe.

The CoE summit will take place in Reykjavik, the Capital of Iceland. According to reports, the European leaders will discuss ways to make Russia legally accountable for the death of Ukrainians and the destruction the Russian forces have caused in Ukraine.

Frank Schwabe, a Member of the German National Assembly, reportedly said, “The Council of Europe is often underestimated in its importance. The summit will also be about saying what happens if you don’t respect the rules.”

The participation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, is not yet officially confirmed. The Ukrainian president wrote on Twitter that he was “returning home with new defence packages.”

Russia’s membership in CoE was suspended in March after it invaded Ukraine in February last year. Later on, Russia left the Strasbourg-based body hours before a vote to expel it.

Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has said that the European Union (EU) will “keep supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes.” She reiterated Europe’s support for Ukraine amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

She is set to attend the Reykjavik summit. Ursula von der Leyen said that in Reykjavik she would support the creation of a dedicated tribunal to bring Russia’s crime of aggression to trial.

Emmanuel Macron, the President of France; Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; and Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany, are set to attend the summit. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, will represent the US at the summit.