Ukraine and 34 Countries Approve Compensation Body for War Damages

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kraine and 34 other countries on Tuesday formally approved plans to establish an international compensation body to assess and pay for damage caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a move hailed as unprecedented by European officials but shadowed by uncertainty over how payments will be enforced.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed leaders gathered in The Hague, urging strong international backing to ensure that “any damage caused by the war can be compensated.” He later told the Dutch parliament that “the aggressor must pay.”

The compensation mechanism, facilitated by the Council of Europe, will operate through an International Claims Commission, allowing Ukrainians to seek redress for “damage, loss or injury” resulting from Russia’s invasion, which began in February 2022. The commission will assess claims submitted to an existing register of damages launched in 2023, which has already received about 80,000 claims.

No clear legal pathway

While the Council of Europe insists Russia should bear the financial burden, there is no clear legal pathway to compel Moscow to pay. One proposal under discussion involves using tens of billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets held in Europe.

Thirty-five countries have backed the commission, though each must now ratify the treaty domestically — a process that typically requires parliamentary approval. Officials described the level of support as unprecedented for a new Council of Europe treaty.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the EU would contribute one million euros to fund the commission’s operations, part of an estimated 3.5 million euros needed overall.

The compensation mechanism

Zelenskyy’s visit followed peace talks in Berlin involving U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is prepared to forgo NATO membership in exchange for firm Western security guarantees, but rejected proposals to cede Ukrainian territory to Russia.

Several of the same countries supporting the compensation mechanism have also endorsed the creation of a new international court under the Council of Europe to prosecute senior Russian officials for the invasion.

(Source: The Associated Press)