Convention on compensation for Ukrainians was signed in Hague, and occupation of Baltic states was mentioned

The impunity of the Soviet Union and its successor, Russia, for the occupation of the Baltic states in the 1940s has become one of the prerequisites for the Kremlin's current aggressive policy.

According to Censor.NET, this was stated by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys at a diplomatic conference in The Hague, writes EuroPravda.

The head of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry stressed that the lack of accountability for past crimes has created a sense of impunity, which Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is exploiting today.

That is why the international community must ensure that Russia is held accountable for its war against Ukraine.

Reparations as a condition for stable peace

During the event, Budris signed a convention on behalf of Lithuania to establish a Compensation Commission, which will determine the amount of reparations for Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression. The minister stressed that bringing the aggressor to justice is a necessary condition for establishing a lasting and just peace.

He also called for expanding the circle of participants in the initiative and involving as many countries as possible in this process so that the decision would have broad international support.

The Baltic states' history lesson and a signal to Russia

According to the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, the creation of a reparations mechanism is of particular importance to the Baltic countries due to their own historical experience.

"At the time, there were no reparations for the Soviet occupation of Lithuania and other Baltic states under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. And now Putin and his regime are acting as if these crimes never happened," Budris emphasized.

The minister is convinced that it was precisely the lack of punishment for the occupation of the Baltic states that became one of the reasons for Russia's further aggressive actions — against Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014 and 2022.

The creation of a compensation mechanism for Ukraine, he said, should send a clear signal to Moscow: aggression will never be legitimized, and responsibility for war crimes is inevitable.

Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed using frozen Russian assets as collateral for providing Ukraine with "reparation loans".