The key factor in the decision to grant Ukraine access to frozen Russian assets is the political will of its allies.
This was stated by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum and Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2014 to 2016, during the discussion ‘The Future of Ukraine’ in Łódź, Poland.
He emphasised that Europe plays a key role in providing financial support to Ukraine, but the needs remain substantial. At the same time, the issue of placing an additional burden on taxpayers in partner countries could become a tool in domestic political struggles.
“If you go to the Polish people and say: ‘Folks, could you pay more taxes in order to provide financial support to Ukraine?’ I am not sure that everyone would be happy in Poland,” remarked Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
According to him, opponents of aid to Ukraine will attempt to exploit this issue in political confrontations. Instead, frozen Russian assets are a source of funds that allies should tap into to support Ukraine.
“We need to confiscate these assets in order to provide financial support for Ukraine,” emphasised the KSF Chairman.
He also dismissed arguments regarding the legal impossibility of confiscation. In his view, international law permits such a decision to be taken.