REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
Over 100 MEPs have sent a letter calling on the European
Council and European Commission to revisit seizing more than EUR200 billion
($234 billion) in frozen
Russian assets to support Kyiv, Ukrainian outlet LIGA.net reported on Sept.
9, citing a copy of the letter.
The lawmakers proposed creating a special EU mechanism that
would assume and shar the legal risks and enable the assets to be transferred
as a “loan against future reparations.”
The letter was signed by 123 of the European Parliament’s
720 members. Journalists described the appeal as significant political pressure
from a cross-party group of MEPs on the European Commission and the Council of
the EU.
The MEPs backed an initiative by Sweden, Poland, the
Netherlands, and Spain to resume discussions on using frozen Russian assets for
Ukraine.
The lawmakers said the current joint EU loan of EUR90
billion ($105.3 billion) for 2026-27 would not be enough.
They emphasized that Ukraine needs additional financial
support in both the short and long term, particularly because current estimates
put the damage from the Russo–Ukrainian war at more than EUR600 billion ($702
billion).
“The principle must be clear: Russia must bear the financial
consequences of its war of aggression,” the letter said.
“Further use of Russia’s frozen sovereign assets would not
only provide Ukraine with urgently needed support, but also maintain economic
pressure on Russia.”
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