Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, alongside representatives from 34 other nations, officially sanctioned plans on Tuesday to establish a compensation body designed to address the damages sustained by Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion. However, uncertainties remain regarding the funding mechanisms for this initiative.
During an international conference in The Hague, President Zelenskyy emphasised the importance of robust international support, stating that “any damage caused by the war can be compensated.” The Council of Europe, the continent’s foremost human rights organisation, has played a pivotal role in establishing the International Claims Commission. This commission will allow Ukrainian citizens to seek compensation for any “damage, loss, or injury” inflicted by Russia since the onset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The Council of Europe firmly maintains that Russia should be held accountable for these costs, although no clear path to enforce this obligation has yet been established. One proposed solution is to utilise a portion of the substantial Russian assets frozen in Europe. “The aggressor must pay,” President Zelenskyy remarked during his address to the Dutch parliament.
The day before, he participated in peace negotiations in Berlin with US President Donald Trump‘s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. President Zelenskyy indicated a willingness to reconsider Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees but firmly opposed the US proposal for territorial concessions to Russia.
“These security guarantees represent an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,” he stated in remarks to the press, referencing the compromises Ukraine is prepared to make.
A total of 35 nations have endorsed the International Claims Commission, though the ratification process now requires legislative approval. This level of support is unprecedented for the initiation of a Council of Europe treaty. The commission will assess claims submitted to the operational register of damages, established during a Council of Europe summit in 2023, which has thus far recorded approximately 80,000 claims.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced at a press conference that the European Union would allocate one million euros to support the commission’s operations, with total funding needs estimated at around €3.5 million.
Furthermore, many of the same countries have expressed their support for the creation of a new international court, operating under the oversight of the Council of Europe, tasked with prosecuting senior Russian officials in connection with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This article used information from The Associated Press.
