US Treasury Secretary urges Europe to lead economic pressure on Russia
Photo: Scott Bessent (Getty Images)
The United States supports the achievement of lasting and sustainable peace in Ukraine and expects Europe to take decisive action to increase economic pressure on Russia, US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent says.
Following talks with European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, Bessent stressed the importance of "increased G7 economic pressure against Russia" to speed up the end of the war.
He also stressed the need for a unified global response to “China's irresponsible export restrictions” and the importance of diversifying global supply chains.
"I underscored America’s commitment to a lasting, durable peace in Ukraine, and the need for Europe to take the lead on increased G7 economic pressure against Russia," the Secretary wrote.
He added that the US and its allies must "China's reckless imposition of export controls" and work to strengthen the sustainable supply of critical goods.
US position on reparations to Ukraine at Russia's expense
Earlier, Bloomberg reported that the US did not support the use of frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.
According to the agency, US officials at the IMF meeting in Washington last week told their European partners that they would not join the initiative for now.
Last week, European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis said that the US had expressed support for the IMF and European Union initiatives aimed at financing Ukraine with frozen Russian assets.
According to the European Commission, about $5 billion is blocked in the US, while in Europe it is about €210 billion.
On October 23, the European Council will meet in Brussels to discuss the use of frozen Russian assets to provide financial assistance to Ukraine in the coming years. Participants will hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
