Ukraine and 34 other countries approve compensation body for damages from Russia's invasion

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and 34 other countries formally approved plans Tuesday to create a compensation body to pay for damages to Ukraine caused by the Russian invasion, but questions remain about where the money will come from.

Zelenskyy told leaders gathered in the Dutch city of The Hague that he hopes for strong international support so "any damage caused by the war can be compensated.”

The Council of Europe, the continent’s preeminent human rights organization, has facilitated the International Claims Commission, which will allow Ukrainians to seek compensation for “damage, loss or injury” caused by Russia since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

The Council of Europe is adamant that Russia must foot the bill, but there is no clear pathway for forcing Moscow to pay. One proposal is to use some of the tens of billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets held in Europe.

“The aggressor must pay,” Zelenskyy told the Dutch parliament earlier Tuesday.

On Monday, he attended peace talks in Berlin with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Zelenskyy voiced readiness to drop his country’s bid to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees, but rejected the U.S. push for ceding territory to Russia.

“These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,” he told journalists. “And this is already a compromise on our part.”

Thirty-five countries backed the International Claims Commission, but they now must ratify the treaty, a process which usually requires legislature approval. That level of support is unprecedented for the start of a Council of Europe treaty.

The commission will assess claims made to the already operational register of damages, which was launched during a Council of Europe summit in 2023. Some 80,000 claims have already been filed with the register, which is based in The Hague.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a press conference the bloc would give one million euros ($1.1 million) to finance the commission's operation. An estimated 3.5 million euros ($4.1 million) are needed overall.

Many of the same countries have also backed a new international court, also under the umbrella of the Council of Europe, to prosecute senior Russian officials for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, attends a parliament session in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Robin van Lonkhuijsen/Pool Photo via AP)

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, right, poses with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, right, welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Steve Witkoff, special envoy of the United States, meet at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, Pool)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says proposals being negotiated with U.S. officials for a deal to end the fighting in Russia's nearly 4-year-old invasion of his country could be finalized within days, after which American envoys will present them to the Kremlin before possible further meetings in the U.S. next weekend.

A draft peace plan discussed with the U.S. during talks in Berlin on Monday is “very workable,” Zelenskyy told reporters hours after the discussions. He cautioned, however, that some key issues — notably what happens to Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces — remain unresolved.

U.S.-led peace efforts appear to be picking up momentum. But Russian President Vladimir Putin may balk at some of the proposals thrashed out by officials from Washington, Kyiv and Western Europe, including postwar security guarantees for Ukraine.

The proposal for security guarantees will be based on Western help in keeping the Ukrainian army strong, an official from a NATO nation said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

“Europeans will lead a multinational and multi-domain force to strengthen those troops and to secure Ukraine from the land, sea and air, and the U.S. will lead a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism, with international participation,” the official said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Tuesday that Russia wants a comprehensive peace deal, not a temporary truce.

If Ukraine seeks “momentary, unsustainable solutions, we are unlikely to be ready to participate,” he said.

“We want peace — we don’t want a truce that would give Ukraine a respite and prepare for the continuation of the war,” he told reporters. “We want to stop this war, achieve our goals, secure our interests, and guarantee peace in Europe for the future.”

American officials said Monday there's consensus from Ukraine and Europe on about 90% of the U.S.-authored peace plan. U.S. President Donald Trump said: “I think we’re closer now than we have been, ever” to a peace settlement.

Plenty of potential pitfalls remain, notably the land issue.

Zelenskyy reiterated that Kyiv rules out recognizing Moscow’s control over any part of the Donbas, an economically important region in eastern Ukraine made up of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia's army doesn’t fully control either.

“The Americans are trying to find a compromise,” Zelenskyy said, before visiting the Netherlands on Tuesday. “They are proposing a ‘free economic zone’ (in the Donbas). And I want to stress once again: a ‘free economic zone’ does not mean under the control of the Russian Federation.”

Putin wants all the areas in four key regions that his forces have seized, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory.

Zelenskyy warned that if Putin rejects diplomatic efforts, Ukraine expects increased Western pressure on Moscow, including tougher sanctions and additional military support for defense, such as enhanced air defense systems and long-range weapons.

Ukraine and the U.S. are preparing up to five documents related to the peace framework, several of them focused on security, Zelenskyy said.

He was upbeat about the progress in the Berlin talks.

“Overall, there was a demonstration of unity,” Zelenskyy said. “It was truly positive in the sense that it reflected the unity of the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine.”

Emma Burrows in London contributed.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to the Head of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic of Russia, Kazbek Kokov, during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, center, welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, right, welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, delivers a speech during a parliament session in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Robin van Lonkhuijsen/Pool Photo via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, front, attends a parliament session in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Robin van Lonkhuijsen/Pool Photo via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff gather for a family photo at the Chancellery in Berlin, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (Lisi Niesner/Pool Photo via AP)