“Four years of full-scale war have left Ukraine facing a reconstruction bill of nearly 500 billion euros,” said ECR MEP Rihards Kols, speaking in the European Parliament ahead of a vote on the establishing of an International Claims Commission for accountability and justice for Ukraine.

Kols called for decisive measures to ensure that the burden of reconstruction does not fall on European citizens, but on Russia, the aggressor.

“The math of accountability is straightforward: Russia broke the peace, Russia pays to rebuild every single brick. We must fully confiscate Russian sovereign assets to fund this reconstruction, rather than asking European taxpayers to subsidise the aftermath of Kremlin terror,” Kols said.

Kols warned that Europe must move from declarations to concrete action, ensuring that Russia bears the full financial and legal consequences of its war of aggression, saying:

“This month marked Russia’s most intense aerial campaign since the invasion began, with seventy-five civilians killed in one month. Every strike is a data point in a debt that Russia will pay – not as generosity or conscience, but as a legal obligation under international law.”

He also called for a review of decisions related to sanctions enforcement, adding:

“Accountability also requires confronting the enablers within our own systems. Certain officials within this Union worked very hard to have Russian oligarchs removed from the sanctions list. It is now time for a full review: which names were targeted for removal and whether they should be re-added to the lists.”

The ECR Group underlines that accountability must remain at the centre of Europe’s response, warning against any attempt to trade justice for short-term political arrangements. Kols concluded by stressing the broader implications, saying:

“Europeans must understand that deferred justice in Ukraine guarantees future aggression on our own borders. We cannot trade accountability for a fragile ceasefire. We must strip Moscow of its resources and ensure the architects of this war face a tribunal.”