At the Reykjavik European Council gathering, broad consensus emerged in support of the central aim of creating a registry for damage caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, along with a shared pledge among many members to renew the organization and reinforce its financial foundation.
A total of 40 of the 46 member states signed the treaty, and accession was achieved beyond those signatories. Observers at the summit included the United States, Japan, and Canada. Hungary did not sign initially, prompting a later reinstatement of its position, and several states signaled caution about taking measures against Moscow.
Other Council members maintain strained or nuanced relationships with Russia or have strong ties to the aggressor country. Türkiye, Armenia, Serbia, and Azerbaijan, for example, distanced themselves from the majority or indicated they were not presently prepared to sign the agreement.
The registry will go beyond a mere protocol or database. Its purpose is to preserve all information and evidence of the damage and to hold accountable those responsible, while also providing compensation to those who suffered losses.
justice and reparation
An initial three-year application period was proposed, with headquarters planned in The Hague and a secondary delegation on Ukrainian soil. In essence, the Dutch city housing the International Court is envisioned as the anchor for the registry’s operations.
The list of forty signatories includes countries willing to participate but that have yet to implement their own legal frameworks to enforce the agreement within their territories, with Switzerland cited as an example.
Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s prime minister representing Kyiv at Reykjavik, described the registry as a cornerstone for future justice and reparations, as President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed leaders in a virtual format.
In a photo of Council of Europe leaders—Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Giorgia Meloni, and Rishi Sunak alongside Ursula von der Leyen—Spain’s Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, called the registry creation a basic step in his remarks to Efe. The consensus among leaders and signatories echoed a shared view that this registry would significantly contribute to international efforts pressuring Russia to account for its aggression.
Russian assets abroad
How the international community will operationalize this goal remains uncertain. Kyiv’s leadership stressed the intent to use Russian assets abroad to settle reparations, while Scholz cautioned that the route is legally complex and not straightforward. Germany pledged to increase its financial support to the registry, adding to its already substantial European contribution to the Council of Europe, a sum nearing ten percent of the institution’s annual budget.
Although the path to a comprehensive agreement on registering war damage and losses is still being charted, the Reykjavik consensus has energized advocacy for human rights and democratic accountability. The summit in Reykjavik marked a historic moment in the Council of Europe’s history, following Russia’s exclusion in response to the invasion of Ukraine last year.
Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Iceland’s prime minister, underscored at the conclusion of the summit that the Council of Europe can play a meaningful role in accountability. With Latvia taking over the rotating presidency, a strong regional alliance supporting Ukraine was highlighted, including the Baltic states.
I
Cited sources provide context for the event, including formal statements from participating leaders and the documented discussions surrounding the registry and its potential implications for international law and reparations.