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UK, France, Germany to move forward with using Russian assets to aid Ukraine

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UK, France, Germany to move forward with using Russian assets to aid Ukraine
France's President Emmanuel Macron (L), Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meet on the sidelines of the two-day NATO Heads of State and Government summit in The Hague on June 24, 2025. ( Ludovic Marin / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

The leaders of the U.K., France, and Germany agreed in a phone call on Oct. 10 to move jointly toward using frozen Russian assets to help fund the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The push, which the three leading European powers seek to coordinate with the U.S., is aimed at pressuring Russia to end its full-scale war on Ukraine.

Kyiv's Western allies and other partners immobilized approximately $300 billion in Russian central bank assets at the outbreak of the invasion in 2022, with roughly two-thirds of the assets held in Europe.

Calls to use them to fund Ukraine's defense have grown louder as Kyiv faces a $65 billion external budget gap for the years 2026–2029.

"We agree to develop further bold and innovative mechanisms to increase the cost of Russia's war and ramp up pressure," the British government said in a statement.

This strategy will include additional steps against Russia's shadow fleet, a group of aging tankers Moscow uses to avoid sanctions and for other subversive activities.

"We will increase pressure on Russia as President (Vladimir) Putin continues his stalling tactics and abhorrent attacks in response to peace talks," the statement read.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also condemned recent Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy grid and pledged to continue supporting Ukraine through the coalition of the willing.

Ukraine is already receiving funds generated by immobilized Russian assets via the G7's $50 billion Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) loan.

As Kyiv faces a budget shortfall and war-related costs continue to mount, the EU has proposed utilizing Russian assets to also fund a new reparations loan.

The proposal, which would stop short of confiscating Russian assets outright, would provide Ukraine with at least 140 billion euros ($160 billion), to be repaid only once Moscow agrees to pay war reparations.

7 EU states increase Russian energy imports in 2025, Reuters reports
Among the seven nations increasing their purchases, France saw a 40% jump, importing 2.2 billion euros ($2.5 billion), while the Netherlands’ imports surged 72% to 498 million euros ($579 million). Belgium, Croatia, Romania, and Portugal also raised their imports. Hungary recorded an 11% increase over the past year.
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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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