Netherlands Launches International Commission to Oversee Ukraines War Reparations

High-ranking European officials convened on Tuesday to create an international entity that will determine reparations likely amounting to tens of billions of euros to compensate Ukraine for the full-scale invasion by Russia.

The newly formed International Claims Commission for Ukraine will evaluate and make decisions regarding reparations claims, including the total disbursements to be issued.

Approval for this body was anticipated at a high-level summit in The Hague, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas were in attendance.

The establishment of this commission follows the creation of a «Register of Damages,» which has already documented over 80,000 claims for reparations filed by both individuals and organizations.

The next phase will involve the formation of a compensation fund, though the practical mechanics of this crucial component remain uncertain.

The reparations framework is being coordinated through the Council of Europe, a 46-nation organization dedicated to safeguarding human rights on the continent, based in Strasbourg.

Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel informed journalists that the new commission will be headquartered in The Hague.

EU leaders are currently under pressure to find consensus regarding the handling of frozen Russian assets during a summit set to begin on Thursday.

They are exploring avenues to finance a loan for Kyiv, which, according to the proposal, would be repaid through the eventual Russian reparations to Ukraine.

While many member states, including influential Germany, strongly support the plan, it has faced significant opposition from Belgium.

Belgium, hosting the international deposit organization Euroclear—which manages the majority of Russian assets—has so far declined the proposal due to possible legal implications.

The discourse surrounding frozen assets is occurring amid ongoing efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine, a situation U.S. President Donald Trump described as «closer now than we have been ever.»

Following two days of discussions with senior U.S. officials in Berlin, Zelensky remarked that negotiations were «not easy» but yielded «real progress» concerning security guarantees.

On Monday, European leaders suggested a European-led «multinational force» supported by the U.S. to help enforce a potential peace agreement.

«Accountability, reparations, and reconstruction discussions must be integrated into peace negotiations,» stated Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset as he arrived at the meeting in The Hague.