THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and 34 other countries on Tuesday formally approved plans to create a compensation agency to pay for damage caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but questions remain over where the money will come from.
Zelensky told leaders gathered in the Dutch city of The Hague that he wanted strong international support so that “any damage caused by the war can be compensated.”
The Council of Europe, the continent’s preeminent human rights organization, has facilitated the International Claims Commission, which will allow Ukrainians to seek compensation for “damage, loss or injury” caused by Russia since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
The European Commission insists Russia must foot the bill, but there is no clear way to force Moscow to pay. One proposal is to use some of the tens of billions of dollars in frozen assets Russia holds in Europe.
“The aggressor must pay,” Zelenskiy told the Dutch parliament earlier on Tuesday.
He attended peace talks in Berlin on Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkopf, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Zelensky has said he is willing to give up his application to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees, but has rejected a U.S. push to cede territory to Russia.
“These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,” he told reporters. “This is our compromise.”
Thirty-five countries support the International Claims Commission, but they must now ratify the treaty, a process that typically requires approval from their legislatures. This level of support is unprecedented for the launch of a Council of Europe Treaty.
The Commission will assess claims brought into use on the Damage Register, which was launched during the 2023 European Council Summit. The registry based in The Hague has received approximately 80,000 claims.
The EU will provide 1 million euros ($1.1 million) to fund the commission’s operations, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Karas told a news conference. A total of €3.5 million ($4.1 million) is estimated to be needed.
Many of these countries also support the establishment of a new international tribunal under the Council of Europe to prosecute senior Russian officials for the sweeping invasion of Ukraine.
