Zelensky demands justice as 35 nations back Ukraine reparations fund, but will Russia pay?
US$232 billion in frozen Russian assets are central to a new Hague-based commission managing Ukraine war damage claims
Top European officials including President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed on Tuesday to set up an international body to decide on tens of billions of euros of eventual reparations to compensate Ukraine over Russia’s invasion.
The International Claims Commission for Ukraine, signed by 35 countries, will assess and decide on claims for reparations, including any amount to be paid out.
The commission’s establishment follows the setting up of a so-called “Register of Damages”, which has already received more than 80,000 claims for reparations from individuals or organisations.
The third step will be setting up a compensation fund. It is not clear how that critical part of the process will work in practice.
The commitment to accountability comes as Russia signalled no willingness to pause the fighting, with the Kremlin flatly rejecting calls for a Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine
“We want peace, we do not want a ceasefire,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying, arguing that a Christmas truce would simply allow Ukraine to catch its breath and prepare to continue fighting. He said Russia wanted to end the war and achieve its objectives.