Zelensky urges frozen asset transfer to Ukraine: "Russian elites and leadership do not care about human lives, but their primary concern is money"
Photo: Office of the President
The loss of assets for the Russian Federation will be the most painful loss because Russia does not care about human lives but only about its money.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote that on Twitter.
As the Head of State noted, the decision to use frozen assets to support Ukraine will be a fair and legal response to Russia's aggression, as well as the proper signal to potential aggressors in the world.
"I urge our partners to create an appropriate legal framework quickly. This year, we must achieve tangible progress in the issue of using frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine. On the way to this goal, we firmly rely on the leadership of the Group of Seven," the president added.
Zelensky emphasized that the frozen Russian assets abroad amount to about 300 billion dollars. All of them should be used to support Ukraine, which will be a historic opportunity to make the terrorist country pay for its evil.
Заморожені російські активи за кордоном становлять приблизно 300 мільярдів доларів. Вони мають бути використані на підтримку України.
Це історична можливість змусити державу-терориста заплатити за свій терор. Російським елітам і керівництву байдуже до людських життів, але понад…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 6, 2024
"The Russian elites and leadership do not care about human lives, but their primary concern is money. The loss of assets will be the most painful loss for them. They will feel the true power of the international community and see that the world is stronger than terror," Volodymyr Zelensky added.
It should be noted that Ukraine's partners are hurrying to agree on a plan to confiscate 300 billion dollars of frozen Russian assets. So far, the US has asked G7 working groups to explore ways to do this.
For reference:
During 2022-2023 and as of the beginning of August, the Security Service of Ukraine seized the assets of Russian business people financing the war, worth almost 190 billion hryvnias.
In addition, the assets of Russian oligarchs are being seized abroad:
- Great Britain has frozen more than 18 billion pounds ($23 billion) of assets and imposed sanctions against more than 1,550 Russians since the Russian Federation's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and as of mid-June this year.
- In the Czech Republic, the assets of Russian oligarch Volodymyr Yevtushenkov, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, were frozen.
- Poland also offered to give the frozen assets of the Russian Federation to Ukraine and EU countries.
- In Germany, blocking Russian assets worth more than 4 billion euros was possible.
- The EU is studying the procedure for the confiscation of 200 billion euros of frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank. The European Commission is also developing its proposals.
- Belgium created a special fund to support Ukraine in the amount of 1.7 billion euros, filled with taxes on Russian assets frozen in the country.
- In July, Italy announced that it had frozen the assets of Russian oligarchs worth about 2 billion euros after the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine.
