Europe and G7 countries launch damage registry to seek reparations from Moscow

“A necessary and urgent first step”. The United States, Japan, Canada and almost all European countries signed on Wednesday May 17 a register of war damage caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This file will make it possible to request reparations and lawsuits against Moscow for the thousands of victims and the billions of euros of destruction.

“We wanted victim-centred justice”declared the Secretary General of the Council of Europe meeting at the summit. The initiative, led by the Icelandic presidency of the organization, aims to show that the file of “justice for Ukraine” is moving forward, when the prospect of a possible special tribunal for war crimes committed during the invasion remains distant.

Ukraine, which is part of the Council of Europe, has warmly welcomed the creation of this register, which will be based in The Hague (Netherlands) like the International Criminal Court (ICC). “There will be no reliable peace without justice”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday evening by videoconference. The summit, which brings together 46 European countries, “clearly shows that Putin has failed”according to Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor.