The United Nations General Assembly, in a non-binding vote in November, endorsed the idea of creating an “international record” documenting the damage across Ukraine from the war waged by Russia since February 2022.
Earlier this year, Maria Bejenovic Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, suggested that the Strasbourg-based Council take over the registry.
The 46-nation council, established in 1949, seeks to support democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Its members plan to meet Tuesday in Reykjavik to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a letter to the meeting, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield expressed Washington’s willingness to provide funding for the emerging registry and to be an “associate member” in it.
“As President Biden has stated, the United States is committed to holding Russia accountable for its war of aggression against Ukraine,” Thomas Greenfield wrote in a letter to Porich.
“Creating a registry documenting the damage caused by Russia’s brutal war is a critical step in this effort,” she added.
The World Bank estimated in March that Ukraine needed $411 billion for reconstruction.
The United States also promised in March to support and fund another international effort to establish a special court to look into the crime of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
