The US is throwing its support behind a bid to document damages from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which hopes the effort will lead to post-war reparations, according to a letter seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Friday.
The UN General Assembly in a nonbinding vote in November last year backed the idea of an “international register” that would document damages across Ukraine from the war unleashed by Russia in February last year.
Earlier this year, Council of Europe Secretary-General Marija Pejcinovic Buric proposed that the Strasbourg, France-based group take the lead on the register.
Photo: AP
The 46-nation council, founded in 1949, seeks to uphold democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Its members are holding a meeting on Tuesday in Reykjavik devoted mostly to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a letter ahead of the meeting, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who is to represent Washington — an observer to the council — at the summit, said the US would provide funding and serve as an “associate member” of the nascent register.
“The United States has committed to holding Russia accountable for its war of aggression against Ukraine,” Thomas-Greenfield wrote in a letter to Buric seen by AFP.
“Establishing a Register of Damage to document claims of damage from Russia’s brutal war is a critical step in this effort,” she wrote.
The World Bank in March estimated that Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery needs amounted to US$411 billion, or 2.6 times the country’s estimated GDP last year.
The US in March also voiced support for another international effort on Ukraine — a special tribunal to consider the crime of aggression.
Ahead of her trip, Thomas-Greenfield spoke by telephone with Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba.
They discussed efforts to renew a UN-backed deal to ensure exports of grain from Ukraine, a key breadbasket, said Thomas-Greenfield spokesman, Nate Evans.
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