The loan must be interest-free and the funds should be available for any use, Prime Minister Denis Shmigal has said
FILE PHOTO: Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denis Shmigal. © Global Look Press / Keystone Press Agency / Oleksandr Klymenko
Ukraine has demanded that no conditions be attached to a $50 billion loan by G7 members to the country which is reportedly backed by seized Russian assets.
Speaking at the ‘Ukraine 2024. Independence’ forum on Tuesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal stated that while G7 leaders agreed to lend $50 billion in June, Kiev insists on a certain “political framework” related to the funds.
“Ukraine should receive them by the end of this year at the latest. These funds should be provided to Ukraine without any conditions,” he insisted.
This loan also “should be interest-free and not affect an increase in the state debt,” Shmigal went on, adding that Kiev must be able to use the funds for any of its needs, primarily to compensate for the damage the country has suffered during the conflict. The prime minister noted that Kiev and the G7 had reached an agreement on this point, but said he wants Ukraine to be able to use the funds to finance the budget and the military.
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Shmigal conceded that providing Ukraine with this loan “is a difficult task.”
“The G7 countries and the EU must find a consensus on how to provide this money. These funds will be compensated for our partners by revenues from frozen Russian assets, the total amount of which is $300 billion,” he said, adding that the annual interest on this sum is $3-4 billion annually.
The prime minister acknowledged that Ukraine remains in dire financial straits, pointing to a $35 billion deficit in next year’s budget, $15 billion of which still has to be covered in some way.
“Our goal is to get all $300 billion which is frozen,” Shmigal stressed. He added, however, that for the time being, Ukraine also intends to raise funds by increasing internal borrowing and taxation.
While Western nations have discussed outright confiscation of the $300 billion in sovereign Russian assets, mostly stashed in Belgium, they have so far refrained from doing so due to legal and public image concerns. However, G7 members have agreed to use the profits from these assets to finance Ukraine.
Moscow has denounced the asset freeze as “theft.” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the West’s decision to use profits from Russian money to help Ukraine is “criminal, cynical, and another blow to international law.”