The United States, Japan, Canada and nearly all European countries on Wednesday signed a register of war damages caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a precursor to demands for reparations and lawsuits against Moscow, the European Council in Iceland announced.

The census, launched on Tuesday during the pan-European body’s summit of heads of state and government, is supposed to be the first step in an eye toward demands for reparations from Moscow for thousands of victims of the war. Billions of euros in ruin.

“We have about forty member states that have signed up, plus all the G7 countries on three continents.”Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Bejcinovic Buric said on the second day of the summit. “We want victim-centred justice”The head of the most famous legal body, the European Court of Human Rights, welcomed “A Necessary and Urgent First Step”.

The initiative, supported by the organization’s Icelandic leadership, aims to be on file. “Justice for Ukraine” The prospect of a potential special tribunal for war crimes committed during the invasion is far from advanced. The European Union has also signed up, in addition to most of its members, including France. EU member states Bulgaria and Switzerland and Andorra are finalizing internal procedures for signing, according to the Council of Europe.

Ukraine is part of the Council of Europe, which excluded Russia in March 2022 after the invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kiev warmly welcomed the creation of this registry, which would be established in The Hague, similar to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The latter, initially created for three years, was supposed to collect complaints from victims and identify all human or material damage.