Ukraine updates: Europe creates a commission for war damages

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stepped up his push for firm security guarantees from Europe and the United States as any future peace with Russia is discussed.

Speaking in The Hague after talks with Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needed "legally binding commitments" to protect the country if a ceasefire is reached.

He said many questions remain about how Ukraine can be safeguarded without NATO membership.

"There are many questions about how we can receive protection without being a member of NATO," Zelenskyy said, adding that comprehensive security guarantees were essential.

Zelenskyy pointed to talks in Berlin on Monday, where participating countries pledged concrete contributions to Ukraine's security.

He declined to name which countries would take part in a planned multinational security force, saying details were contained in a document that would only be published after a ceasefire is in place.

Russia rejected a limited ceasefire in Ukraine after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged President Vladimir Putin to halt fighting over Christmas.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was unlikely to participate in such a ceasefire if Ukraine was focused on "short-term, unviable solutions" rather than a lasting settlement.

"We want peace, we do not want a ceasefire," Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news outlets, arguing that a Christmas truce would simply allow Ukraine to regroup.

Merz had appealed to Putin on Monday,  after two days of talks in Berlin with Ukrainian, European and US diplomats on a possible peace settlement.

Russia was not involved in those talks, and Peskov said Moscow has not seen proposals on security guarantees for Ukraine.

"We want to stop this war, achieve our goals, secure our interests, and guarantee peace in Europe for the future. That's what we want," he said.

Jürgen Hardt, a German lawmaker and conservative CDU/CSU foreign policy spokesperson, told DW it's time for Moscow to accept peace proposals to end the war in Ukraine.

"If he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] will not agree on it, the Western world will increase its military support for Ukraine, which makes it more difficult for Putin to reach his military goals. And therefore he should now take what is on the table. It's more than he should get."

Hardt spoke after talks in Berlin between Ukraine's allies, including the US, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"I am optimistic that we now have a common position that is durable."

Hardt believes Germany would support a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, but said it depends on a peace deal with Russia.

He said proposed security guarantees for Ukraine are nearly as strong as NATO's Article 5.

Asked if President Donald Trump would stick to the points discussed in Berlin, Hardt said the US is "strongly committed to that plan and therefore I’m optimistic that the alliance between the US, Ukraine and the European states is sustainable and also a strong word to Putin."

Territorial questions remain unresolved, but Hardt said only Ukraine can decide whether to give up land.

"We are convinced that only Ukraine and the Ukrainian president and the Ukrainian parliament can take such a decision. By the way, also the constitution of Ukraine makes it necessary that the Rada [the Ukrainian parliament] is agreeing on that."

Ukraine and 34 other nations have agreed to set up a compensation body for war damages caused by Russia's invasion.

The decision was announced today in The Hague, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged strong international backing so victims can be compensated.

The Council of Europe will oversee the International Claims Commission, allowing Ukrainians to file claims for losses since February 2022.

"We are sending a very clear message from here in The Hague. That after peace is achieved, justice must be allowed to take its course," Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said.

But how to make Russia pay remains unclear. 

According to the latest assessment by the UN, World Bank, the EU, and the government of Ukraine, the total cost of reconstruction and recovery comes to $524 billion (€506 billion) over the next decade. This does not yet include data from 2025.

"The aggressor must pay," Zelenskyy told the Netherlands parliament earlier.

The commission's establishment follows the setting up of a so-called "Register of Damages," which has already received more than 80,000 claims for reparations from individuals or organizations.

"We haven't forgotten that you have suffered." EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a message to Ukrainians seeking reparations.

Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is urging caution over plans for a European-led multinational force in Ukraine.

His comments follow Monday's Berlin summit, where European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, proposed a protection force to secure a possible ceasefire.

On Tuesday, Pistorius said Europeans have committed to taking responsibility, but added further developments will largely depend on reactions from the United States and Russia.

"When [Russian President Vladimir] Putin says how he wants to proceed, then we will see what that might consist of in detail," Pistorius said when asked what contribution Germany's armed forces could make.

"At this stage, this is about Europeans - quite naturally - committing themselves to sharing responsibility and being involved at the negotiating table in the further course of developments," Pistorius added.

The plan envisions a Europe-led force backed by the US, operating inside Ukraine.

Washington has yet to respond, though it has, in the past, ruled out sending troops.

Talks on a multinational peacekeeping mission have been ongoing, with France and Britain pushing for concrete steps, while Germany remains more reserved.

Germany's Navy has taken delivery of the first of 30 new helicopters intended to support anti-submarine warfare.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius says the aircraft will help defend against underwater and surface threats from the air and hunt submarines.

"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is continuing to massively upgrade his navy. He has little or no need for it in Ukraine. The Black Sea Fleet is one thing, but the North Atlantic Fleet is something else," Pistorius was quoted by dpa as saying.

"This means that we, as NATO and as the Federal Republic of Germany, need to equip our naval forces quickly and better."

The Sea Tiger is designed for use on frigates and marks a significant modernization step for Germany's naval forces.

The NH-90 Sea Tiger will replace the Sea Lynx, which has been in service with the German Navy since 1981.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Moldova must move toward European Union membership in lockstep.

Zelenskyy met with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in The Hague ahead of a conference aimed at establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine.

He said he called for a shared and closely coordinated path to joining the EU. Sandu added that they also discussed "efforts for a dignified peace" in Ukraine.

European Union countries bordering Russia are fleshing out plans to boost defence and security.

Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo says leaders will outline concrete proposals to fortify the EU’s eastern borders.

The meeting in Helsinki also brings together Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania.

They aim to keep flagship EU defense projects alive, despite hesitation from larger members such as Germany and France, who prefer to work outside EU formats.

One proposal under discussion is called "Eastern Flank Watch." Leaders at the Helsinki meeting hope to secure EU funding for the initiative in the future.

The talks come ahead of a major EU summit in Brussels next week.

Plans to build a church in honor of Russia's war dead have sparked rare public protests in the southern city of Krasnodar.

Video posted online shows residents gathered in a riverside park, appealing directly to President Vladimir Putin to stop the project.

The Reuters news agency reported they read a message urging Putin to preserve the park in the Yubileiny district, next to the Kuban river, as a green space for their children and grandchildren to enjoy.

"We are not against religion. We are in favour of the law," it said. "The authorities are not listening to us. We are forced to shout. Yubileiny is against this development."

Authorities say the church will honor "heroes of the special military operation," Russia's term for the war in Ukraine.

Russia's military said on Tuesday that it was in full control of the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk.

Ukraine's attempts to advance from the southwest toward the city's outskirts are being repelled, a report by the Interfax news agency said.

Russia claimed to have captured Kupiansk in November, but Ukraine later reported retaking parts of the city.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video from the Kupiansk area after Kyiv announced the recapture of several districts and two nearby towns, following what Ukrainian forces called a “breakthrough.”

Executives from top Indian arms makers, including Adani Defence and Bharat Forge, took part in rare meetings in Russia this year to discuss possible joint ventures, news agency Reuters reported on Tuesday. 

The report says that the meeting took place in October on the sidelines of the first trip of India’s defense business leaders to Russia since 2022.

Spokespeople from Bharat Forge and Adani Group later denied the allegations.

"No Adani representative attended or participated in any meetings in Russia — official or otherwise," Reuters quoted an Adani spokesperson as saying. "Any reporting that states or implies otherwise is false."

There was no immediate response from India's Defense Ministry. 

Reuters said in a statement that it was standing by its report.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to make India a global defense manufacturing hub. Modi welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to New Dehli earlier this month.

A potential collaboration with Moscow could hinder plans by Indian defense companies to work with Western agencies and firms

Ukraine's  President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders were set to meet in The Hague on Tuesday to launch an international Claims Commission to compensate Kyiv for the damage caused by Russia since its full-scale invasion in 2022.

The conference is being hosted by the Netherlands and the Council of Europe, a group of 46 nations — the continent's top human rights organization.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will be among the dozens of senior officials attending the one-day meeting. 

Over 50 countries and the EU have drafted a Council of Europe convention to create the commission.

It will come into force after being ratified by 25 signatories. 

A two-year-old Register of Damage, included in the commission, has received over 80,000 claims submitted by individuals and organizations in Ukraine.

The World Bank estimates that the cost of reconstruction in Ukraine in the coming decade would be $524 billion (€ 447 billion).

However, the figure is through December 2024 and does not include the damage caused in the escalating Russian attacks this year.

Details on how any damages awarded by the commission would be paid are yet to be chalked out.

A conference of European leaders in The Hague will see the launch of an International Claims Commission to compensate Ukraine for hundreds of billions of dollars in damage from Russia's aggression and alleged war crimes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also be present. 

The meeting comes a day after European officials proposed a Europea-led multinational force, with US support, to enforce a Ukraine peace deal.

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest developments concerning Russia's war in Ukraine.