Council of Europe summit in Iceland seeks to hold Russia to account for war

Leaders from across Europe are laser-focused on holding Russia to account for its invasion of Ukraine and were poised to approve a system that would precisely establish the damages Moscow would have to pay to rebuild the nation and compensate victims.

The 46-nation Council of Europe, the continent's preeminent human rights organization, opened its first summit in 18 years late Tuesday in Iceland. The meeting centers on fully backing member state Ukraine and condemning Russia, which was expelled from the organization for inflicting war on its neighbor.

“We will make the real first step on our path to find a solution how to compensate for these atrocities and damages which Russia brings to Ukraine,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

While almost all European nations have provided military support or taken in refugees from Ukraine, the Council of Europe is uniquely placed to coordinate legal and judicial support.

“When we think in terms of reconstruction, it's an enormously important judicial element to have this register of damages to give justice to the victims,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

And after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stocked up on promises of military hardware throughout a long weekend of diplomatic hobnobbing in Italy, Germany, France and the U.K., dozens of Europe's major leaders arrived in far-flung Iceland bent to turn the legal screws on the Kremlin.

“There will be no reliable peace without justice,” Zelenskyy told the leaders by video address from Kyiv. French President Emmanuel Macron promised all the leaders there “will continue to bring our tireless support to Ukraine.”

By Wednesday's conclusion, leaders at the summit want to have the outlines of a system in place so Moscow can be held liable for compensation to the victims later and allow for the battered nation to start the economic healing process. They are hoping that the United States, which has observer status at the summit, will also back that initiative.