Europe establishes Ukraine reparations commission amid push to end war

The International Claims Commission is tasked with assessing reparation claims and determining amounts to be paid.Published On 16 Dec 2025Top European officials have agreed to launch an international commission to compensate Kyiv for hundreds of billions of dollars in damage from Russia’s continuing war on Ukraine.The International Claims Commission for Ukraine, established in a treaty signed by 35 countries at Tuesday’s conference in The Hague, is to assess and decide claims for reparations, including any amounts to be paid out.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Ukraine ready to drop NATO membership ambition amid peace talkslist 2 of 4Ukraine peace talks intensify as EU debates use of frozen Russian assetslist 3 of 4Europe’s efforts to undermine Trump’s plan on Ukraine may backfirelist 4 of 4Trump says deal to end Ukraine war ‘closer than ever’ after Berlin talksend of listAttending the summit with leaders including Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said making Russia pay for its crimes was “exactly where the real path to peace begins”.“This war and Russia’s responsibility for it must become a clear example so that others learn not to choose aggression,” he said.“We must make Russia accept that there are rules in the world.”The commission was launched during a United States-led diplomatic push to end the war. US President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that an agreement was “closer than ever” after he talked with the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and NATO.Reparations a ‘path to peace’The launch of the Netherlands-based commission, coordinated by the 46-member Council of Europe, follows the establishment about two years ago of a Register of Damages, which has already received more than 80,000 reparations claims from Ukraine.Details on how any damages would be paid are yet to be worked out with discussions revolving around using Russian assets frozen by the EU, supplemented by member contributions.