In Reykjavik, the enlarged Europe shows its support for Ukraine

Government leaders at the Council of Europe in Reykjavik, Iceland, 16 May 2023. AP - Alastair Grant

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A year after excluding Russia from their ranks, the leaders of the 46 countries of the Council of Europe launched on Tuesday (May 16th) a "register of damages" caused by the invasion of Ukraine, with the United Kingdom and the Netherlands taking the lead in an international coalition to give F-16 fighter jets to Kiev.

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Meeting at a summit in Reykjavik, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni and dozens of other European leaders showed their unity in support of Ukraine as Kiev prepares a much-anticipated counteroffensive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke via video conference, called on the Council of Europe to keep its "unity" to preserve "freedom". In the run-up to a G7 meeting in Japan on Friday, he again demanded fighter jets from the West.

Without them, "no air defense will be perfect," he said, reaffirming that Kiev had shot down "all" the Russian missiles that targeted the Ukrainian capital last night, contrary to Moscow's claims. After London and Paris announced the training of fighter pilots, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte announced that they wanted to build an "international coalition" to help Ukraine obtain US F-16 fighter jets. The two men "agreed that they would work together to build an international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat air capabilities (...), ranging from training to the delivery of F16 aircraft," Downing Street said.

► READ ALSO: The United Kingdom promises Zelensky "hundreds" of missiles and drones of long-range attack

The summit in Iceland, only the fourth of the Council of Europe in almost 75 years of existence, was mainly aimed at multiplying the means to make Russia criminally responsible for the destruction and crimes in Ukraine, with the more complicated prospect of a possible international tribunal.

As a country without an army, Iceland – which holds the presidency of the Council of Europe – wanted to give Ukraine legal weapons because it could not give it military weapons. "It is truly a legal mobilization that allows us to move forward in terms of rights and the fight against impunity," Macron said as he arrived at the 24-hour summit, under the Icelandic drizzle.

Lizards among member countries

The President of the Republic has also proposed the construction of a hundred mental health centers in Ukraine, financed by money from a Council of Europe bank with more than one billion euros, according to the Elysee. For Olaf Scholz, the creation of the register of war damages by European countries will play "a central role" in "punishing and holding accountable for the war crimes committed by the Russian occupiers" and "the enormous damage that Russia inflicts on Ukraine day after day".

Europe is seeking to show that it is united to remain at Kiev's side, whatever the outcome of the Ukrainian counter-offensive in preparation, which promises to be difficult against fortified Russian positions. Kiev is worried that it will be pushed by its allies to negotiate with Moscow in case it does not quickly achieve the expected military successes. "We will not do anything about Ukraine without Ukraine," reassured European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Moscow was banned from the Council in March 2022 as a result of the invasion of Ukraine, but was preparing to leave the organization, a rare European or Western forum of which Russia was a member.

In addition to the 27 members of the European Union, the Council of Europe's legal space – 675 million inhabitants in total – includes about twenty other nations, including Turkey and the United Kingdom. It is best known for its jurisdiction, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Despite its stated unity, the Council of Europe is not free of cracks, like the armed conflict between two of its members, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

(

With AFP)

► READ ALSO: Volodymyr Zelensky in search of support from his European allies

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