EU countries should use frozen Russian assets to pay for the damage inflicted on Ukraine while also cutting off the sources of revenue that finance Russia’s war machine.
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs said this at a press conference following the Coalition of the Willing summit held in Kyiv on August 24, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.
The Latvian prime minister noted that Russia is not only waging war against Ukraine but also carrying out hybrid attacks against EU countries. In particular, through illegal migration organized by the Kremlin via Belarus, Russia is testing EU countries’ ability to respond, as well as the speed of their response and their technical capabilities. In addition, Moscow is carrying out cyberattacks in European countries, attempting to destabilize social developments and influence public sentiment.
“I think Russia should start paying for these brutal attacks. And we have to agree to use frozen Russian assets, rather than EU citizens’ money, to pay this bill. It is very high… There are actually €200 billion available that can be used to pay this bill,” Kulbergs said.
He added that the cost of the war unleashed by Russia is enormous for Ukraine, and this burden must be lifted from Ukraine.
