STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT. The United States Treasury announced Tuesday it will send an additional $1.7 billion in economic aid to Ukraine to help fund the country’s recovery from Russia’s invasion.
“This aid will help Ukraine’s democratic government provide essential services for the people of Ukraine,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. The funds are part of the $7.5 billion aid package signed by President Joe Biden in May.
EU finance ministers on Monday approved 1 billion euros in financial aid to Ukraine, a first instalment of a promised 9-billion-euro (dollar) budget for Kyiv agreed by European leaders in May.
“This will give Ukraine the necessary funds to cover urgent needs and ensure the operation of critical infrastructure,” said Zbynek Stanjura, Minister of Finance from the Czech Republic, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
The European Union has frozen Russian assets worth $13.8 billion since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said Tuesday.
“For the moment, we have frozen — coming from oligarchs and other entities — 13.8 billion euros ($13.8 billion), so it’s quite huge,” Reynders told reporters in Prague.
“But I must say that a very large part of it is more than 12 billion… coming from five member states,” he added ahead of an informal meeting of EU justice ministers held by the Czech presidency of the EU.
He refused to name the five countries, but added he expected the other countries in the 27-member bloc to step up their efforts soon (Red).
