Russia must pay: EU chief pushes €140 billion reparations for Ukraine
Ursula von der Leyen (photo: Getty Images)
The responsibility for the war should lie with Russia, not EU taxpayers. There is a legal path to transfer €140 billion of Russian funds to Ukraine, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as reported by Politico.
"We live in troubled times. Russia is testing our resolve," said von der Leyen ahead of the informal EU leaders' summit in Copenhagen.
According to the head of the European Commission, the summit will discuss the plan to seize €140 billion in frozen Russian assets. These funds could be directed to finance Ukraine's defense.
Von der Leyen noted that there is a "sound legal way" for such a step. She emphasized that the EU must use all available tools to hold Russia accountable.
According to von der Leyen, "it's not only European taxpayers that should pay for support to Ukraine, but it is Russia that should be held accountable."
Her position was supported by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. She also stated that assistance to Kyiv should not rely solely on "taxpayers' money," but be financed by frozen Kremlin assets.
Reparations from Russia
According to the EU plan, starting in 2026, Ukraine is expected to begin receiving reparations from Russia. They will be structured as an EU loan of €140 billion funded by Russia's frozen assets.
Ukraine will repay this loan only if Russia itself pays reparations. In any case, Moscow will lose access to these funds.
