Sibiga: Ukraine is in critical need of Russia's frozen assets
The damage inflicted by Russia on Ukraine’s infrastructure has already exceeded $600 billion, and frozen Russian assets could become one of the key resources for Ukraine’s recovery and support.
Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga stated that Ukraine will not be able to overcome the consequences of Russian aggression on its own. According to him, the scale of the destruction is too great, so international partners must join in financing the recovery.
Sybiga emphasized that Ukraine is, in fact, defending not only its own territory but also the security and freedom of all of Europe. At the same time, the Ukrainian military is paying the highest price for this, sacrificing their lives in the fight against Russian aggression.
Separately, the diplomat highlighted the importance of Russia’s frozen assets. In his view, their direct use could significantly strengthen Ukraine and provide an additional resource for countering Russian aggression.
Ukraine plans to actively discuss this issue with its European partners and other countries. Sibiga stressed that the decision must be collective and entail shared responsibility among the allies.
Source: RBC-Ukraine.
More than 240 billion euros in private and state assets belonging to Russia are frozen in European countries. The European Union is currently working on a mechanism to use these funds to compensate for the damage inflicted on Ukraine.
Ukraine could receive its first billion euros in proceeds from frozen Russian assets as early as July of this year, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Frozen Russian assets should be used not only for reconstruction but also for the purchase of weapons for Ukraine, said Latvian Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņš.
