Veteran Ukrainian diplomat warns against expecting reparations from Russia in near future

Russia will not sign a surrender agreement in the coming years, and Ukraine will not receive reparations from it, Valeriy Chaly, head of the board of the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center and Ukraine's ambassador to the United States in 2015-2019, said on Radio NV on Nov. 9.

"We will not have a deal with Russia’s surrendering in the coming years," Chaly said.

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“It may happen someday, but not in the coming years. Therefore, forget about any reparations formalized in this way.”

At the same time, the diplomat noted that Ukraine could achieve satisfaction through an international court, which is a form of reparations.

"The main form of compensation for the damage, for these state losses, which are estimated at hundreds of billions, will be financial compensation," he said.

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“Where does this compensation go? When you don't have a formalized intergovernmental agreement or a UN decision, it turns out that it is the decision of each individual country.

“And here the question arises. On the one hand, I'm sure it will happen, because the interests of our partners are enshrined here. I appreciate this help and it is very good that their interests coincide with ours. They will come to Ukraine with reconstruction projects and these funds along with their control. This is how it will be.”

According to Chaly, "(Ukraine’s) dependence on external partners is enormous," but the interests are different.

"I have seen the recovery plan, our partners want to develop the metallurgy and chemical industry," he said.

“This money will come. I think it will be several hundred billion dollars for sure. I think it will be at least $500 billion. But if someone thinks that this is a huge amount of money, it is not. This money can be directed very specifically, as a priority, to development, where it will be possible to have this development base and further increase the country's development. If it is used to restore the state we had before the large-scale invasion, to restore metallurgical or chemical enterprises, to ensure that our international specialization remains the same, I think it will not be quite right.”

Read also: Ukraine to demand reparations from Russia at ICJ

In September, mass media reported that Ukraine would demand reparations from Russia at a hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia, but Kyiv has not yet decided on the amount.

In June, Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine and Minister of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure Development Oleksandr Kubrakov said that the core of the postwar reconstruction of Ukraine would be funded by reparations collected from Russia.

Russian funds should account for at least half of the funding for reconstruction, with 25% each from Ukraine's partners and state funding, Kubrakov said.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine