Iceland Supports New Claims Commission for Ukraine

Iceland was among 35 countries that signed the Convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine yesterday. The signing took place at a diplomatic conference under the auspices of the Council of Europe in The Hague, with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Today, Iceland once again underlines the need to uphold international law and stand firmly behind Ukraine. Russia must be held accountable and compensate for the damage it has caused to the Ukrainian people. The large number of countries that signed the convention today is a sign of the broad support of Ukraine,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir.

The convention stipulates that Russia is legally responsible for the invasion and must pay compensation for the damage it has caused as a result of its illegal war of aggression in Ukraine. The agreement was reached at the 2023 Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavík, where the foundations were laid for an international accountability mechanism aimed at holding Russia accountable.

The mechanism consists of a special court, which will hold accountable high-ranking leaders for crime of aggression against Ukraine, a special register of damages that became operational in April last year, and now a claims commission. More than eighty thousand claims have already been registered in the register of damages, and the claims commission will be tasked with deciding on the amount of compensation.

The claims commission will be an independent body within the Council of Europe, but non-member states can also become members of the commission. It is expected to become fully operational in 2029.