While peace still appears remote, the prospect of a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine raises difficult questions concerning the international law governing inter-state peace treaties. The unlawfulness of Russia’s use of force and the peace plans proposed to date point to issues of validity,…
Category: 6. Opinion
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Two Weeks in Review: 29 June—10 July 2026 – EJIL: Talk!
“The test of a first-rate intelligence,” according to F. Scott Fitzgerald, “is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” For international lawyers in these times of the Board of Peace and the Gaza Riviera, this kind of…
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A peace treaty for Ukraine: Mini-symposium on international legal issues – EJIL: Talk!
In the four years since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the prospects of a negotiated peace settlement have waxed but mostly waned. But the possibility of an agreement has been an ongoing focus for international lawyers. This is primarily because Russia has demanded territorial concessions…
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Crimean Coastal State Rights and the Resilience of International Arbitration – EJIL: Talk!
Introduction
On 15 June 2026, the Permanent Court of Arbitration published its merits award in Ukraine v. the Russian Federation concerning coastal state rights in the Black Sea, Sea of Azov, and Kerch Strait (PCA Case No. 2017-06). The award itself had been issued on 22 April 2026. The case…
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Eurovision, Non-Recognition and Bangaranga?! – EJIL: Talk!
Bulgaria won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna with Dara’s “Bangaranga”; Israel finished second; and five countries, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, stayed away in protest at Israel’s participation. That combination, spectacle, boycott and contested…
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Russia, Israel, and the Trade in Stolen Ukrainian Grain: A Legal Analysis – EJIL: Talk!
In April 2026, relations between Ukraine and Israel were shaken by a considerable diplomatic crisis. In contrast to Ukraine’s recent quarrel with Hungary over the (likely illegal) interception and seizure of a Ukrainian money transport by Hungarian authorities, this dispute was not preceded by…
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Functional Immunity and “Covert Violent Acts”: The BGH’s Progressive Development of CIL in the Nord Stream Case – EJIL: Talk!
On 10 December 2025, the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) delivered its order (StB 60/25, English press release available here) in the criminal case against Serhiy K., accused of participating in the destruction of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in September 2022….
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Ukraine’s EU membership: when, not if—but 2027 is unrealistic, says veteran MEP
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This interview is part of our series Inside the waiting room, which examines the structural, political, and domestic barriers to Ukraine’s EU membership—and the cost of…
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Russia is now dropping FPV drones with explosives from bigger “Gerbera” carriers
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Russia has begun using FPV drones with dropped explosive payloads. They are being found already dozens of kilometers from the border, not only on the ground but also on the…
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Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1534: 2,000 civilians are starving in occupied Oleshky as Russia blocks aid corridor
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Exclusives
A 26-year-old Russian flew into Argentina to break Milei. He’s not flying out. Dmitry Novikov ran Russia’s biggest 2024 Latin American influence operation—targeting Milei for… Continue Reading