Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Chmygal this Monday called on the West to transfer 300 billion euros of frozen Russian assets to Kyiv so that elections in allied countries do not affect support for Ukraine.
The request comes as Kyiv, which has faced a Russian invasion for two years, is concerned about cuts in Western military and financial aid caused by internal divisions in the United States and the European Union (EU).
“The help of our partners is an extremely important tool,” Chmyhal said at a press conference in Kyiv, as quoted by the French agency AFP.
“But we need predictability and stability, regardless of the weather conditions, political fluctuations and election cycles that are unfolding around the world,” he said.
Chmygal said dozens of elections expected this year in Ukraine’s allies, including the United States, Kyiv’s main donor, create uncertainty about the continuation of aid.
The situation “poses a lot of stress for our partners and for us,” he admitted.
Chmyhal said that “the confiscation of Russian assets should become a reliable source of support” for the Ukrainian state and financing for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
The EU managed to secure €50 billion in aid in early February after Hungary raised obstacles.
The US aid package has been blocked in Congress for several months by supporters of Donald Trump (Republican), named the favorite in the November presidential election.
The North American package is worth $60 billion (€55.5 billion at current exchange rates).
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began two years ago, the European Union and G7 countries have frozen some 300 billion euros in assets from Russia’s central bank, according to EU data.
The transfer of these assets to Ukraine is far from complete due to what the West sees as legal and geopolitical obstacles.
The Europeans are preparing to transfer interest and profits received from Russian assets to Kyiv. Belgium plans to pay Ukraine 1.7 billion euros this year.
“Compared to 200 billion euros [de ativos russos] which are frozen in accounts in Belgium, this is an insignificant amount,” said the Prime Minister of Ukraine.
The confiscation of all frozen Russian assets “interests us for two reasons: first, because we need them, and second, because it is a punishment for the Russian aggressor,” who “must pay” for the invasion of Ukraine, Chmyhal added.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv’s allies imposed sanctions on Moscow to reduce its ability to finance the war and froze Russian state assets abroad.
In addition to sanctions, Western allies have also supplied weapons to Ukraine, which launched a counteroffensive in June with little success and is now facing a new Russian offensive in the east.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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