European Nations Set Up International Body to Assess Ukraine War Damages

Europe Sets Up International Claims Commission for Ukraine War Damages.

European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, are meeting in The Hague on Tuesday to launch an International Claims Commission aimed at compensating Ukraine for hundreds of billions of dollars in damage from Russia’s invasion and alleged war crimes.

The one-day conference is co-hosted by the Netherlands and the Council of Europe, Europe’s leading human rights organisation, and will draw dozens of senior officials, including EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. The meeting coincides with US-backed diplomatic efforts to end the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Russia has repeatedly denied allegations that its forces committed war crimes. Russian officials were not immediately available to comment on the initiative.

The commission will form the second pillar of an international compensation mechanism for Ukraine, building on the Register of Damage for Ukraine established by the Council of Europe in 2023. The register has already received more than 80,000 claims from individuals, organisations and public bodies.

More than 50 countries and the European Union have drafted a Council of Europe convention to establish the commission. It will enter into force once 25 signatories ratify the agreement and sufficient funding is secured. A source familiar with the talks said up to 35 countries are expected to sign the convention at Tuesday’s meeting. The commission is likely to be based in The Hague.

The body will assess claims for damage, loss or injury caused by Russian actions committed in or against Ukraine on or after February 24, 2022. Claims may be filed by individuals, businesses or the Ukrainian state and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, with compensation awards determined accordingly.

European officials acknowledge that any future peace deal involving a possible amnesty for wartime atrocities—an idea previously floated by the administration of US President Donald Trump—could complicate efforts to compensate victims of abuses, including sexual violence, child deportations and the destruction of religious sites.

The World Bank estimates Ukraine’s reconstruction costs over the next decade at $524 billion (€447 billion), nearly three times its economic output in 2024. The figure covers damage only through December 2024 and excludes destruction caused this year, when Russian attacks intensified on energy, transport and civilian infrastructure.

How any compensation awarded would be funded remains unresolved, though officials say frozen Russian assets held by the EU are among the options under discussion.

Founded in 1949, the Council of Europe promotes democracy, human rights and the rule of law and is Europe’s oldest intergovernmental organisation.