Kallas on 'reparation loan' to Ukraine: Whoever causes damage must pay
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas states that as of now there is no common position among the European Union member states on the "reparation loan" to Ukraine, but she is convinced: the one who causes damage – and this is Russia – must pay for the damage caused to Ukraine.
She said at a press conference in Brussels on Monday that there had been a brief discussion about the "reparation loan," as the leaders were expected to address the issue on Thursday during the European Council meeting, and preparatory work was underway to find a solution.
Kallas maintained that a positive decision could become a turning point in the war, as it would demonstrate to Russia that it must bear responsibility for the losses inflicted on Ukraine. At the same time, the High Representative said the matter was being resolved with great difficulty. She added that Belgium's concerns had also been heard that day, and she believed that everyone at the negotiating table understood those concerns and was prepared to share the burden. In her view, if work on the "reparation loan" continued, the pressure on Belgium would in fact be eased, since the burden and the risk would be shared among all member states. In that case, she argued, it would become a European proposal for which Europe as a whole, not Belgium, would assume responsibility.
Kallas expressed hope that the leaders would achieve results at the European Council meeting on Thursday. However, she also acknowledged how difficult the process was and said she did not want to make any predictions, emphasizing that the work was ongoing.
She said the "reparation loan" was a viable option because it was based on the principle that those who cause damage must compensate for it. Since Russia was causing damage to Ukraine, she stressed that frozen Russian assets were currently the best available option.