Will Russia pay for Ukraine?

Should Russia pay reparations for its invasion of Ukraine? The Ukraine War has resulted in widespread devastation. As well as the huge loss of life, it’s caused economic devastation. Reconstruction and recovery could cost as much as half a trillion dollars. As the conflict continues, there is a growing call for Russia to pay reparations for the damages inflicted. However, with few signs of an imminent Russian defeat, and as the costs of fighting the war rise significantly, the debate now centres on how reparations could be enforced in real time. But is seizing Russian assets really the way to do it?

There are strong historical precedents for reparations. As well as German reparations after the First World War, Japan and Germany also paid vast sums of compensation after the Second World War. This raises the potential for Russia to be held financially accountable. The human and economic toll on Ukraine has been immense. As well as hundreds of thousands of deaths and casualties, there’s been massive destruction of infrastructure. The idea of seizing Russian assets abroad to fund reparations is controversial, facing significant legal, economic, and diplomatic challenges. Critics argue that such actions could escalate tensions, set dangerous precedents, and potentially undermine investor confidence in the West. As an interim measure, Western countries have agreed to use the interest generated from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, though the debate over full-scale reparations and asset confiscation continues.

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*VIDEO CHAPTERS*
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:47 Reparations and the War in Ukraine
01:45 The Scale of Destruction in Ukraine
04:44 The Case for and Against Russian Reparations
07:21 The Wider Problems of Reparations
09:43 The Dangers of Confiscating Russian Assets
12:34 Using Russian Assets to Help Ukraine

*SOURCES AND FURTHER READING*
Russia’s Frozen Assets Present a Policy Dilemma
Ukrainian Economy after 2 Years of War | European Parliament

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#Russia #Ukraine #Reparations

[JamesKerLindsay]

This week, I’m looking at the controversial question of Russian reparations for Ukraine. Should Russia be made to pay reparations for the death and destruction it has caused? Or do you think it will complicate efforts to end the war? And is it time for a general principle of reparations? More to the point, should Russian assets be confiscated to cover the huge costs, even though this could have very serious broader consequences? As always, I look forward to your thoughts and comments below.

(By the way, there’s a bit of family history with the subject, and there’s a little easter egg in the video. My great-grandfather makes an appearance. He was the British delegate on the Reparation Commission after the First World War. But can you guess which one he is in the photo?)

[merocaine]

Reparations are something imposed on a defeated nation, so selling the lion skin before the beast is slain.

[samsungtap]

I live on a railway where no train has run for 50yrs...pehaps you could start your repreations to Vietnam there or perhaps a thousand other places or pay for the 300 Vietnamese that are killed every yr from your unexploded ordinance

[BellicoseNation]

Of course, this talk of -reparations- goes over well in the West but for many people beyond the West, they want to know: When does the US pay operations to Iraq, Syria, Vietnam, Cambodia, Afghanistan, and more. They ask why the US is exempt from the -Rule-based order- that it talks about so much? Because Ukraine is on the border of RUssia, its pretense for invasion is far more plausible than the US invasions.

[peterkops]

There is definite credence to the claim of selective reparations. No clearer example than Iraq.

[emmanueltrejo]

Unless you can get nato boots on Moscows red square I don’t believe Russia will pay a single ruble.

[georgewashington]

United Kingdom, as a part of NATO military, invaded the following countries, just in the last 25 years: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya (air space invasion), Syria.
All mentioned invasions are illegal under International law, as United Nation's Security Council never approved any of those invasions.
Yes, James Ker-Lindsay - a UK citizen makes a video about Russian reparations.
What about reparations of upper mentioned countries taken from UK?

[ebiekem]

Have reparations for Vietnam, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, etc been paid? How about the actual instigators of this Ukraine war? No?

[AnonymousAlcoholic]

I don’t think I have an opinion as to whether the assets should be seized or not. However, any argument, the West makes as to the morality of the situation is laughable. After what the United States is allowing to happen in Gaza, we have lost the moral high ground to such luminaries as turkey and South Africa. Any claim to any sort of moral right by the United States is, on its face, not worthy even of contempt.

[juliibongo]

Will American and British government pay Libya Syria Iraq Niger Vietnam Sudan Afghanistan China Serbia

[CCamilleri]

If you look at history, it's always the losing the side who has to foot the reparations bill.

[vipulchakurkar]

If the West wants Russia to pay, is the NATO going to pay reparations to the Iraqis?

[bakisastilom]

My oppinion is that, this analyse should be modified by this way: 1) instead of word Russia to use word NATO, 2) instead of word Ukraine to use word Serbia (or FR Yugoslavia), 3) instead of years 2022, 2023 or 2024 to use year 1999. And only with those changes this "analyse" would have sence. Serbia has sufered "illegal agression" from NATO countries (without permission of UN SC and without attacking any NATO member state) and had over 150 billion material war damage plus over 3000 people dead and many more wounded, plus plus even more people died from uranium munition used during bombing of Serbian towns. When FR Yugoslavia officialy asked from UN Court of justice to force NATO to pay war compensation, the answer of the Court was that the Court is not autorised to such a legal process. And that is a message to whole free world about fairness and principness of western legal bodies under UN umbrela.

[evgeniya]

Russia may also take action against European monetary assets

[oliveirlegume]

When will US pay for its incessant wars ? It did not for Vietnam Afghanistan Yougoslavia

[gift]

Africa also are waiting for reparations. No to double standard.

[insearchofnemo]

Please make a video about the Palestinians right to get reparation from Israel, USA, Britain, German, and all of the other former colonial powers who have stolen their land, forced them to live under apartheid m, keep selling weapons to Israel, and the over 75 years of torture and unaliving they endure.

[evgeniya]

Всем пожелателям российских компенсаций следует захлопнуть свою ненасытную варежку. И открыть ее не раньше, прежде чем Россия предъявит счет за разрушенный Донбасс, за 8-летнюю экономическую блокаду Крыма и Донецкой/Луганской народных республик, за ущерб от НЕЗАКОННО введенных санкций

[muslimresponse]

what about reparations for 🇵🇸 stop the hypocrisy!

[AniMageNeBy]

I sense a "two weighs, two measures" attitude, once again. I mean: did we, the West, pay for all the damages of the wars we've engaged in?