European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, gathered in The Hague on Tuesday to launch an International Claims Commission aimed at compensating Ukraine for hundreds of billions of dollars in damage caused by Russian attacks and alleged war crimes since the 2022 invasion.
The one-day conference, co-hosted by the Netherlands and the 46-nation Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights body, was attended by dozens of senior officials, including European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. The gathering marked efforts to formalise a mechanism to assess and pay out claims.
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The commission builds on the 2023 Register of Damage, which has already collected more than 80,000 claims covering destruction of infrastructure, residential and public property, and human rights abuses. It is expected to begin evaluating claims once at least 25 states ratify the commission’s founding convention.
Estimates of Ukraine’s wartime reconstruction needs exceed $524 billion by the end of 2024. Supporters of the commission hope it will eventually draw on frozen Russian state assets to fund compensation. About 35 countries are expected to sign the convention supporting the initiative.
The launch underscores Europe’s commitment to holding Russia accountable for wartime damage and upholding human rights and the rule of law, although legal and political challenges remain as the initiative moves forward.
