EU chief diplomat warns of consequences if Russia escapes reparations

Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has warned that if the international community yields to Russian pressure and fails to complete mechanisms to hold Russia accountable, further acts of aggression will inevitably follow.

Source: Kaja Kallas in a speech before signing a convention establishing a compensation commission for Ukraine, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The EU's top diplomat said the new commission is intended to determine the size of the reparations to be paid to Ukrainian residents affected by Russia's aggression.

Quote: "The scale of destruction and impact on citizens is unimaginable. Property is just one category in the register of damages for Russia's war in Ukraine and, if I may say so, the least costly. Because what price do you put on the killing of family members, the deportation of children, life-changing personal injuries, sexual violence, torture? These are the questions that the claims commission will be dealing with over the next years."

More details: Kallas acknowledged that the ongoing work faces major challenges, the biggest being the lack of clarity about the funding mechanism. She mentioned the possibility of using frozen Russian assets, but said they would not be sufficient.

She also said that historical precedents, such as Iraq voluntarily contributing funds for reparations after invading Kuwait, are irrelevant.

Quote: "Russia will never voluntarily pay for the damage it has done."

More details: Kallas urged the world to keep working on the reparations mechanism despite the pressure that is anticipated from Moscow.

Quote: "We already see the attempts to exclude reparations, and in fact any form of accountability, from a potential peace agreement. And this puts a huge responsibility on the international community… Together, we must all stand up for the victims of this brutal war of aggression. If we do not, more will follow."

Background:

• It was reported earlier that the Netherlands believes the need for Russia to face just punishment does not depend on peace agreements.
• Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys noted in his speech in The Hague that there were no reparations for the occupation of the Baltic states by the Soviet Union, and that this led to further aggression.

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