Ukraine will need financial support from Europe for “two or three more years” to counter the Russian invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday, October 28. This refers to a European Commission proposal aimed at gradually unlocking frozen Russian assets to finance the Ukrainian war effort.
“I again emphasized this to all European leaders. I told them that we are not going to fight for decades, but it is necessary to show that for a certain period of time they will be able to provide stable financial support to Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president said.
“And that’s why they have this program in mind: two or three years. The war could end sooner, but money will be needed for reconstruction,” he added.
“We do not know if Putin will resume aggression”
Regarding the use of Russian assets, European leaders meeting last Thursday in Brussels took a timid first step, asking the Commission to explore ways to finance Ukraine over the next two years, leaving the door open to the creation of a loan that would be based on these assets. Immobilized due to Western sanctions, these assets represent some 210 billion euros.
This proposal will be on the menu of the European summit in December, de facto rolling back the most difficult concessions. It is formulated in vague terms due to the reserves of Belgium, the country where most of the funds are located.
According to Volodymyr Zelensky, kyiv needs “stable and long-term support” because “we do not know whether Putin will restart aggression or not after the end of this war.”
Ukraine wants US pressure on Moscow’s ally China
Volodymyr Zelensky also called on Donald Trump to pressure his Russian counterpart, Xi Jinping, to reduce his support for Moscow and its imports of Russian hydrocarbons. Their meeting is scheduled for this Thursday.
“This could be one of his (Trump’s) strong gestures, especially if after these decisive sanctions, China is willing to reduce its imports” from Russia, said the Ukrainian president, referring to the sanctions imposed last week by Washington against two large Russian oil groups.
Donald Trump also urged buyers of Russian hydrocarbons, particularly China and India, to reduce their imports, which Washington and kyiv say are financing the invasion of Ukraine.
Source: BFM TV
