After the leaders of the European Union (EU) agreed on Thursday to aim for the income from frozen Russian assets to be allocated to Ukraine, President Gitanas Nausėda says that this way Kyiv could receive more than 2 billion extra per year. euros.
“The first real step has already been taken and, let’s say, 2 billion euros per year – this could be approximately an amount that we would not include in, for example, any European Peace Facility (European Peace Facility – BNS), but we would put it above the funds that are intended for both military aid to Ukraine and reconstruction of Ukraine,” G. Nausėda told Lithuanian journalists after the European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
The bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, previously said that about $3 billion a year could be obtained from frozen Russian assets. euro income.
The Presidency clarified to BNS on Friday that 3 billion EUR 2 billion is the planned income, from which, after taxes, Ukraine would actually reach more than EUR 2 billion. euros per year.
According to G. Nausėda, Lithuania aims for Ukraine to receive not only the interest income of the frozen Russian assets, but also all the assets.
“The income that will be earned from the frozen assets could be used for the reconstruction of Ukraine, but we want more. Lithuania is among those countries that want the frozen assets to be used for the reconstruction of Ukraine,” said G. Nausėda.
The President regretted that legal decisions have not yet been made regarding this, and the search for them has been prolonged. According to him, the atmosphere at the EWC meeting was that “we have done a lot, but we have not done enough and we must do more” for Ukraine.
“I think we really need to continue working. Nothing here has ended with that,” said G. Nausėda.
European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to continue work on a plan to use frozen interest from Russia’s central bank to arm Ukraine, as Kyiv asked for more ammunition for its armed forces.
The European Commission proposes to use these revenues to arm Ukraine – 90 percent. the funds would be allocated to a fund that would cover the costs of purchasing arms for Ukraine. The remaining 10 percent would be transferred to the EU budget and used to increase the capabilities of the Ukrainian defense industry.
The EU has frozen approximately 200 billion euros of Russian central bank assets as punishment after Moscow invaded its neighbor in February 2022. About 90 percent these funds are held by Euroclear, an international deposit organization based in Belgium.
Tags: Lithuania seeks Ukraine allocated interest income frozen Russian assets
