On 22 September 2026, Vienna City Hall will host the international symposium “Ukraine: War and War Crimes”, bringing together distinguished representatives of diplomacy and politics as well as military, legal and academic experts to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine, war crimes, international justice and Ukraine’s future in Europe.

The symposium will address the causes, current status and outlook of the war, accountability for war crimes, the establishment of a special tribunal and reparations, as well as Ukraine’s reconstruction and its path towards future membership in the European Union.

🔹 Opening addresses will be delivered by Omar Al-Rawi, Member of the Vienna City Council and the Provincial Parliament of Vienna; Thomas Muehlmann of the Austrian Ministry for European and International Affairs; Ambassador of Ukraine to Austria Vasyl Khymynets; Alfred F. Praus, President of the Ukrainian-Austrian Association; Martin Eichtinger, Director of the Vienna School of International Studies; and Rainhard Kloucek, President of the Paneuropean Movement Austria.

A special part of the programme will be a video address by Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. Her impulse statement will focus on Ukraine’s role in Europe and in the wider geopolitical context, the country’s reconstruction and its future EU membership.

At 16:00, the first panel, “War in Ukraine – causes, status and outlook,” will bring together Wolfgang Mueller of the University of Vienna, Dietmar Pichler, Chief Analyst at the Institute for the Defence of European Democracies (INVED), and Markus Reisner, Director of the Institute for Officer Training at the Theresan Military Academy.

The second panel, “War crimes, special tribunal, reparations,” will focus on the international legal dimension of Russia’s aggression. Speakers include Anton Korynevych of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Jörg Polakiewicz, former Director of Legal Advice and Public International Law at the Council of Europe, and Andreas Sauermoser of the University of Vienna.

🎶 The main programme will conclude with a musical performance by Ukrainian soprano and soloist of the National Opera of Ukraine Susanna Chakhoian, followed by a reception at the invitation of Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig.

For the Austrian Cooperation Office Lviv and the Ukraine Office Austria, providing support for the symposium is part of its broader commitment to strengthening Ukrainian-Austrian dialogue and ensuring that Ukrainian perspectives remain visible in Austria’s academic and public discourse. Creating spaces where the war against Ukraine can be addressed from political, historical, security and international-law perspectives is particularly important for sustaining informed international engagement with Ukraine.

Participation is possible in person upon prior registration, and the symposium will also be livestreamed online.

Organised in cooperation between the Ukrainian-Austrian Association, Vienna School of International Studies, the Austrian Cooperation Office Lviv and the Ukraine Office Austria, Paneuropean Movement Austria and the University of Vienna, with the kind support of the City of Vienna.