We must achieve that Russia pays for the damages it has caused in Ukraine - Dombrovskis

RIGA - The international community must force Russia pay for the damage done in Ukraine, Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis (New Unity) said at the Bank of Latvia's conference Sustainability and Money: Building the Future Economy on Thursday.

He informed that currently the amount of damage caused to Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression has already reached USD 400 billion, so the European Commission is working on a reconstruction plan for Ukraine.

This will require the mobilization of the international community in order to make Russia pay for the damage caused, Dombrovskis said, stressing that confiscated Russian assets could be used for this.

Dombrovskis pointed out that the war in Ukraine is not just a war between two countries, but it is a conflict between two systems - an aggressive imperialist regime has invaded a democratic country.

If Russia wins this war, then the war could also spread to other countries, which Russia does not hide, so it is in the interest of the European Union to support Ukraine so that it wins, Dombrovskis said.

He informed that it is currently a matter of short-term support in the amount of EUR 18 billion in 2023, which the European Commission has already agreed on. At the same time, Dombrovskis pointed out that Ukraine has also asked to think in the long term, so the work on the long-term reconstruction plan of Ukraine begins.

Dombrovskis added that the best way to deal with the consequences of war is to stop the war. Therefore, it is necessary to put pressure on Russia in the form of sanctions, as well as to support Ukraine militarily, financially and geopolitically.