Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenzky has been talking recently about Russia's obligation to pay compensation for damage caused to Ukraine as a result of Russia's aggression.

In one of his recent nightly addresses he "invite[d] partner countries to sign a multilateral agreement and create a mechanism ensuring that everybody who suffered from Russian actions can receive compensation for all losses incurred."

The idea is that as a result of the agreement, Russian funds and property in signatory nations would be set aside for the creation of a special compensation fund. Earlier this week, President Zelensky signed a decree setting up a working group on the “development and implementation of international legal mechanisms for compensation for damage caused to Ukraine as a result of armed aggression by the Russian Federation”.

Professor Dapo Akande has been appointed a member of that working group, alongside other academics such as Harold Hongju Koh (Professor of International Law at Yale University), members of the Ukrainian government and barristers including Alison McDonald QC and Amal Clooney.