U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States will, for the first time, transfer assets confiscated from Russian oligarchs under sanctions to Ukraine. Source: Joint press conference of Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The United States will transfer money confiscated from Russian oligarchs to Ukraine for the first time
“We are transferring assets to Ukraine for the first time, confiscated from Russian oligarchs who have been sanctioned, which will now be used to support Ukrainian military veterans,” stated Antony Blinken.
According to the U.S. Secretary of State, ‘those who facilitated Putin’s aggressive war must be held accountable.’ This concerns $5.4 million that they plan to allocate for the support and rehabilitation of veterans.
Antony Blinken’s visit to Kyiv
Blinken arrived in Kyiv by night train from Poland. This marks his third visit to the capital of Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The U.S. Secretary of State is expected to announce new funding to support Ukraine totaling over $1 billion.
In addition, Blinken is scheduled to meet with Zelensky, from whom he directly expects information about Ukraine’s efforts to regain territory around the city of Bahmut. This visit also comes against the backdrop of the fourth month of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, during which political and military leaders in Kyiv discuss the latest developments on the front, especially in southern Ukraine. Overall, Blinken will be in Ukraine for 2 days.