EU sanctions on Russia should remain in place as long as Moscow occupies Ukrainian territory, Ireland’s Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne said, as European leaders weigh a contentious “Reparations Loan” and a new international body launches in The Hague to process war-damage claims against Russia.
“The entire basis of our support for Ukraine and our position against Russia and our actions against Russia is that [Russia] has breached international law,” Byrne told reporters in Brussels ahead of a ministerial meeting. “They’ve taken territory that’s not theirs, and we have to get them out of there and get them to stop their war.”
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Byrne said peace talks must deliver a “fair and just” outcome for Kyiv, and reiterated Ireland’s backing for the use of sanctions “to use whatever the strongest possible leverage that we have as a European Union.”
EU leaders are set to confront the Reparations Loan proposal when they meet in Brussels on Thursday, despite resistance from a small number of member states. The plan is aimed at funding Ukraine’s reconstruction and relief efforts, in part by tapping Russian assets. “There’s a huge amount of money that has to be spent in Ukraine. Somebody has to pay [for] it, and it is right that it is Russia, and Russian assets that should have to pay that,” Byrne said. He added that the measure is intended both to support Ukraine and to protect European taxpayers. “It’s a really, really difficult and complex issue, but I’m confident that we can come to an agreement with the various member states that have expressed some concerns.”
In The Hague, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Ireland’s EU Commissioner Michael McGrath joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch an International Claims Commission for Ukraine. The legally established body will assess and review eligible claims for damages, loss and injury resulting from Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, drawing on the Register of Damage created in 2023 under international law.
The Claims Commission is designed as an administrative and fact-finding mechanism to apply accountability to the Russian government for the invasion. Some proceeds from the proposed Reparations Loan are earmarked for compensation claims that will be channelled through the new Commission.
Negotiations last September produced a draft convention to establish the Commission within the framework of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe. The Council adopted a proposal to sign the convention in The Hague, marking a further step toward operationalising the claims process. Work is ongoing on a Special Tribunal to hold Russian political and military leaders to account; Ukraine and the Council of Europe signed an agreement in June to establish the tribunal, and the EU is expected to present a proposal to sign the instrument.
McGrath, whose portfolio includes Justice and the Rule of Law, called the Commission a decisive step toward justice and “a major milestone” in Europe’s support for Ukrainians “as they continue their heroic resistance to Russia’s brutal war of aggression.” “The European Union has remained steadfast in standing with Ukraine, defending the rules-based international order that protects every state, and confronting impunity,” he said. “Today, we move from principle to action — from aspiration to reality — embedding accountability at the heart of Ukraine’s future.”
Kallas said Russia cannot escape paying the bill for its war, adding that establishing the Commission sends a message to future aggressors: “If you start a war, you will be held to account.”
Separately, France signalled it wants “robust security guarantees” for Ukraine before any discussions on Kyiv ceding territory to end the war. An adviser to President Emmanuel Macron said European leaders in Berlin have made progress on security guarantees “thanks to a clarification on the form of US support,” while acknowledging that territory remains a key sticking point.
The Berlin talks have been building on a US plan initially considered very favourable to Russia. European leaders have since worked to revise it, including proposals for a force as part of US-backed security guarantees designed to ensure Russia would not violate any agreement to end the war. Zelensky welcomed new US guarantees but said differences persist over what territories Ukraine would be required to cede. Russia claims the annexation of several Ukrainian regions it does not fully control.
Additional reporting: AFP/Reuters
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
