The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk delivered a speech at the US Helsinki Commission hearings
First of all, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine expressed his gratitude to the U.S. Helsinki Commission for holding an important hearing "Making russia Pay: Confiscating Sovereign Assets for Ukraine's Victory". He emphasised that these hearings are of utmost importance for raising awareness on this topic not only in the US Congress, but also around the world.
Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked the Helsinki Commission, which is one of the most influential and authoritative bipartisan groups in the US Congress, for its leadership in supporting Ukraine, drawing the attention of members of Congress to all aspects of russia's war against Ukraine and the need to bring the aggressor to justice.
"russia's aggression against Ukraine is an illegal and unprovoked aggression against a sovereign state that has caused thousands of deaths, suffering and significant losses to the Ukrainian people," said the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, adding that russia is destroying civilian infrastructure, bombing schools and hospitals, erasing cultural heritage and damaging the environment every day.
He noted that russia's June 2023 blowing up of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station caused more than three billion US dollars in damage: "This barbaric act, qualified as a war crime of ecocide, is a serious environmental disaster that is spreading beyond Ukraine."
In addition, Ruslan Stefanchuk said that, according to World Bank estimates, as of spring 2023, the damage caused to Ukraine exceeded USD 400 billion.
At the same time, he stressed that russia must pay for all losses and damages: "The optimal legal instrument for introducing a mechanism for compensation for the damage caused by russian aggression against Ukraine is the possibility of using both russian sovereign and private assets."
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine thanked the U.S. Congress for adopting new legislation last year that allows the use of confiscated assets of russian oligarchs for the needs of Ukraine: "russian sovereign assets must be confiscated and transferred to the victims of this war through a transparent international mechanism."
"It is time to act decisively. The United States, as the leader of the free world, must lead," Ruslan Stefanchuk concluded.