German Finance Minister Christian Lindner
Rebuilding Ukraine with Russian assets: Finance Minister Christian Lindner likes the idea, and there is also a role model. However, implementation would be legally risky.
Could Russian assets be used to rebuild Ukraine ? When Christian Lindner was asked this recently by SPIEGEL, his answer came without hesitation: “With the assets of the Russian state, my sense of justice speaks for it.”
The finance minister is not alone in his feelings. “We have the money in our pockets,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, when he also spoke in the “Financial Times” in favor of using frozen reserves in favor of Ukraine. After the war began, Western countries froze around $300 billion in assets held by the Central Bank of Russia. This would repair a significant portion of the damage in Ukraine, which the government estimates at up to $600 billion.
The plan is also occupying the G7 finance ministers, who will be meeting on Petersberg near Bonn, chaired by Lindner, on May 18-20, 2022. Within the group of states, the United States and Canada have long been pushing for Ukraine to benefit from Russian assets. EU countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltic States have also made corresponding demands.
