Russia, which is destroying Ukrainian cities, must itself pay for their restoration. And this can be achieved by using the frozen assets of the aggressor country to restore Ukraine.
And the heads of 27 states and governments of the member states of the European Union instructed the European Commission to prepare appropriate options that would allow this to be done. This is stated in the conclusions of the two-day meeting of the European Council.
The document notes that the European Union aims to support Ukraine in providing emergency assistance, recovery and reconstruction together with international partners and institutions.
Moreover, recalling its findings from 30 – On May 31, 2022, the European Council invites the European Commission, in accordance with EU law and international law, to present options with a view to using the frozen assets in support of the reconstruction of Ukraine, the document says.
And Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tweeted that it's time to move on to make the aggressor pay.
“More than 300 billion euros of frozen Russian assets – let's use them to help Ukraine. We must also hold Russia accountable . Ukraine asked for this. The EU should take the lead,” she stressed.
The EU will also provide funding for Ukraine during 2023
< p>At the same time, the European Union will transfer a tranche of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 9 billion euros by the end of the year. However, EU leaders are already considering how to ensure stable financing of Ukraine's basic needs in the amount of 3-4 billion euros per month.
As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, in general, since the beginning of the year, the EU has supported Ukraine in the amount 19 billion euros.
But the focus of today's discussion was more on next year, as it is very important for Ukraine to have an expected, reliable and stable flow of revenue. – said von der Leyen.
Therefore, in 2023 Ukraine will receive funding from the EU and partners in the amount of 18 billion euros. The President of the European Commission said that this is the amount that Ukraine can count on, which will be a stable and predictable source of funds.
Rebuilding Ukraine after the war: what is known about it
It is very difficult to assess all the losses that Russia has inflicted and continues to inflict on Ukraine. However, back in September, Justice Minister Denis Malyuska noted that Ukraine would demand at least $300 billion reparations from Russia for damages caused by the Russian invasion.
Pay attention! In fact, the losses of Ukraine from the Russian invasion are estimated much more, but the indicated amount corresponds to the size of the frozen assets of the Bank of Russia in the G7 countries.
Unfortunately, during the period from February to March, the aggressor caused significant damage throughout Ukraine. In particular, during this period, the invaders destroyed or seized at least 616 administrative buildings and 978 medical institutions, of which 24 have the status of private, as well as:
- 1270 schools,
- 786 kindergartens,
- 775 cultural sites,
- 80 religious buildings,
- 149 tourism establishments,
- 153 sports facilities,< /li>
- 2910 retail outlets,
- 19 airports and civil airfields,
- 110 railway stations and stations,
- 315 bridges and bridge crossings of the state, of local or municipal importance,
- 10 thermal power plants and 322 boiler houses.
The other day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope that a mechanism for compensating Ukraine for damage through frozen assets of Russians would be developed before end of 2022. Ukraine is working to ensure that the UN supports the resolution on the introduction of an appropriate international reimbursement mechanism.
