Recording of Russia’s Damage in Ukraine to be Documented
Iceland and the EU Focus on War Crimes in Ukraine at Council of Europe Summit
The Fourth Summit of the Council of Europe, held in Reykjavik, Iceland, saw Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hold a joint press conference to discuss their focus on punishing those responsible for war crimes in Ukraine. Von der Leyen thanked Iceland for making this issue the focus of its rotating presidency, and announced that a “Damage Register” mechanism would be launched to create a first step towards Russia paying compensation to Ukraine in the future.
Supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s peace formula, von der Leyen emphasized that discussion would be open with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal in attendance at the summit’s session, and that the formula is a basis they are all working on. Representatives from 46 member states of the Council of Europe attended the two-day meeting, where Europe’s latest developments and current challenges were discussed. The summit aimed to increase support given to Ukraine, with Iceland handing over the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to Latvia at the end of the summit.
Turkey was also represented at the summit by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs Ambassador Mehmet Kemal Bozay. It is worth noting that Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe on March 16, 2022.
