Europe launches international commission for Ukraine war damages

THE HAGUE, December 17 ------ Europe launched an International Claims Commission for Ukraine in an effort to ensure Kyiv is compensated for hundreds of billions of dollars in damage from Russian attacks and alleged war crimes. The gathering in The Hague of dozens of leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, coincided with a US-orchestrated diplomatic push to end the war in Ukraine that was triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

"Every Russian war crime must have consequences for those who committed them," Zelensky said, before 34 European leaders signed a convention to formally launch the commission at Tuesday's gathering in The Hague. "That's exactly where the real path to peace begins," he added. "It's not enough to force Russia into a deal. It's not enough to make it stop killing. We must make Russia accept that there are rules in the world."

Reparation for victims

The establishment of the claims commission does not mean Ukrainians can expect swift reparations for damages. Details on how any damages awarded by the commission, to be based in the Netherlands, would be paid still need to be worked out. Early discussions have touched on using Russian assets frozen by the EU, supplemented by member contributions. "The goal is to have validated claims that will ultimately be paid by Russia. It will really have to be paid by Russia; this commission offers no guarantee for the damages," Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said.

The two-year-old Register of Damage, which will become part of the claims commission, has already received over 86,000 claims submitted by individuals, organizations, and public bodies in Ukraine under a wide range of categories. Russian officials were not immediately reachable to comment on the commission. The Kremlin denies accusations of war crimes by Russian forces in Ukraine. It has also described the EU's proposal to use immobilized Russian assets to finance Ukraine's defense and budget needs as illegal and threatened retaliation.

Source: gmanetwork.com