German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD, M) speaks at the Council of Europe summit in Iceland's capital Reykjavik. © Kay Nietfeld/dpa
At the end of its two-day summit, the Council of Europe wants to adopt a damage register to document the destruction in Ukraine. However, there is still a lot to be clarified.
Reykjavik - The 46 countries of the Council of Europe want to adopt a register of war damage in Ukraine at their summit in Reykjavik today. For example, all damage caused by the Russian war of aggression is to be documented so that Russia has to answer for it legally and financially. All member states, as well as observers and other states, could then join the register. The idea goes back, among other things, to a resolution of the United Nations and is now to be implemented under the umbrella of the Council of Europe.
Russia excluded, Belarus suspended
The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 as the guardian of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe. The organisation is independent of the EU. It also includes significantly more countries than the EU - almost all European states. Russia was excluded after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belarus is suspended and only represented at the summit as an observer.
Ukraine has been a member of the Council of Europe since the mid-90s. The meeting in Reykjavik is only the fourth summit of the Council in its more than 70-year history. Pro-Russian leaders such as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, on the other hand, did not come to Iceland.
According to Ukraine in December, Russia had destroyed 35,000 objects by then, including several hundred critical infrastructure facilities, such as bridges or gas pipelines. The EU Commission recently estimated the damage to Ukraine at at least 600 billion euros.
Scholz and Macron promote damage registers
The damage register is intended to create a basis for the reconstruction of Ukraine, said Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the summit in Reykjavik on Tuesday evening. The register is a prerequisite for working with common data, said the SPD politician. It could be a basis for talks at the international level. French President Emmanuel Macron also promoted the register: "I call on all states to join it and actively contribute to its elaboration." However, it is still unclear exactly how such a damage register could be designed.
At the start of its first summit in 18 years, the Council of Europe clearly sided with Ukraine in the defensive fight against Russia. "Ukraine is fighting for democracy and for freedom. It is our common fight," said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the opening session, which was also joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via video link from Kyiv.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) called for Russian war crimes to be punished, but also spoke out in favour of not burning bridges to the "other Russia" beyond President Vladimir Putin and his government. Dpa
