On Friday, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament urged the United States to send the proceeds from assets it had seized from Russian oligarchs as aid to Ukraine.
Ukrainian lawmaker Kira Rudik said she and others have been pushing the U.S. to use the money seized from Russian oligarchs and central banks to aid Ukraine's defenses, The Hill reported. According to Rudik, the sum would amount to over $500 billion.
"So we are waiting for it to be sent," she said, "but we need to go further and actually execute on this legislation, because I believe it will be the fair and logical thing to do."
Rudik's statement follows legislation that Congress approved at the end of last year to provide Ukraine with military, "reconstruction, and reparation" aid from the "proceeds ... recovered" from Russian oligarch assets.
The Ukrainian lawmaker made her remarks as federal prosecutors seek to confiscate six properties belonging to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg in Florida and New York. On Friday, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York claimed in a complaint that the properties were used in sanctions avoidance and money laundering.
Despite Rudik's comments, some Republicans have expressed reluctance to extend further financial assistance to Ukraine, claiming that the funds should be prioritized for domestic issues. But the Ukrainian lawmaker contended that obtaining the money from Russian oligarchs would save the U.S. taxpayers from bearing the financial burden of the war.
"Taxpayers of the countries that support us," she said, "should not be paying for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's crimes. Putin should be paying for his own deeds."
On Monday, President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv, Ukraine. During the visit, the president announced the U.S. would provide the country with $500 million in aid. This comes on top of the $112 billion Congress appropriated in 2022 alone, the BBC reported.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.