U.S. lawmakers Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from Michigan, and Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan, recently introduced a bill that could potentially make Russia pay the Ukrainians for destroying their country. This was reported in a CNN article.
The Ukraine Sovereignty Act of 2022, for example, ensures that Ukrainians, whether they are U.S. citizens or not, would be able to seek monetary compensation through U.S. courts for any losses incurred as a result of the Russian invasion, which would be paid out of assets confiscated from Russia or Russian oligarchs against whom the U.S. government has imposed sanctions.
It is noted that the bill is consistent with U.S. ethical principles and economic interests.
Current U.S. law does not allow suing a foreign government for actions committed outside the United States. Foreign central bank assets are also out of reach, even if they are held in U.S. banks.
The Dingell-Apton bill, however, would change that, and the tens of billions of dollars the Bank of Russia holds in the United States, not to mention the seized assets of other sanctioned Russians and Russian entities, could be used to pay compensation to Ukrainian refugees and war victims, the article said.
If the bill proposed by Dingell and Upton passes, a Ukrainian family whose home was destroyed by Russian military bombing could sue the United States.
Ukraine could also sue the U.S. and use any Russian funds to rebuild hospitals, schools, and other facilities destroyed by the Russian military during the invasion. U.S. citizens and businesses owned by them that suffered losses in Ukraine could also receive compensation.