Europe to fund Ukraine weapons with profits from frozen Russian assets – By Henry Ridgwell (VOA News) / May 9, 2024
The European Union has agreed in principle to a deal that would use the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to supply weapons for Ukraine. The bloc said the first payments could be made by the summer, despite calls by Washington for its European allies to go much further and fully seize Russia’s billions for the benefit of Kyiv.
EU officials welcomed the agreement. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday, “there could be no stronger symbol and no greater use for that money than to make Ukraine and all of Europe a safer place to live.”
The EU’s Trade Commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis, wrote that the first $1 billon should be available by the summer, mainly for military support. “Russia will pay directly for its crimes,” Dombrovskis said.
