Zelensky emphasizes European power at Council of Europe meeting

After renewed heavy rocket fire on Kiev, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his supporters and underlined the power of European cohesion on Tuesday at a meeting of the Council of Europe.
"Russia is trying very hard to improve its ability to kill. We are trying very hard to improve the protection of our people," he said at a meeting of the Council of Europe told the leaders assembled for the summit in Reykjavik, speaking by video.
"And I thank all the countries and leaders who help us to improve our air defence altogether. We are showing what our 100% mean and what the power of the free world means," he
The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 as the guardian of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe and is independent of the EU.
Russia was excluded from the group following the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, is only represented at the summit as an observer.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for an international register of Ukrainian war damage. He said it was very important "that we build up a register of damage that will now enable us to collectively record the damage caused by the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine."
This would create a basis for the reconstruction of Ukraine, he said.
The register is a prerequisite for working with common data, Scholz said, noting it could provide a basis for talks at the international level.
"In this respect, this is of the utmost importance for the future of Ukraine," Scholz said, in comments that come some 15 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron backed the idea of a register of Ukrainian war damage. "I call on all states to join it and actively contribute to its elaboration," he said.
The international community must continue to provide unyielding support to Ukraine, "a member of our European democratic family (...) for as long as it is needed," Macron said.
He also called for the establishment of mental health centres in Ukraine with the help of the Council of Europe Development Bank "to help all those who suffer daily from the severe traumas caused by this violent conflict, and as Ukrainians themselves have demanded."
Macron said the Council of Europe was facing the "dangers of the century.
"Nothing must diminish our clear optimism or our determination," Macron said. "We, the great democratic families of Europe. Here and together, we will continue to defend freedom of expression, free elections, free media, the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, tirelessly support Ukrainians, strengthen human dignity by eradicating torture and degrading treatment, and fight the death penalty worldwide."
Scholz also called for contact to Russia to be maintained despite Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government, in remarks at the start of a Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik.
Russia's war on Ukraine would end at some point, Scholz said. "And one thing is certain. It will not end with a victory for Putin-style imperialism," he added. Ukraine would receive support until a just peace is achieved, Scholz said.
"Until then we as the European Council should keep the bridges standing to the representatives of another Russia, another Belarus – and in this way keep open the perspective of a democratic, peaceful future in both countries – no matter how unlikely it seems to us today," Scholz said.
Some 30 European heads of state and government travelled to Iceland on Tuesday for the first summit of the Council of Europe in almost 20 years, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The Council of Europe, which was founded in the wake of World War II, aims to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law and is distinct from the European Union, which is why its 46 members also include countries such as Britain, Turkey and Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel as well as observers from the UN and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were also to attend.
The meeting in Reykjavik is the first Council of Europe summit since 2005 and only the fourth meeting of heads of state and government of its kind. The main topic at the two-day summit was to be the war in Ukraine.
The council's members are to discuss how Russia can be held accountable for its war against the neighbouring country. Russia was expelled from the council after launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.