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Ukraine receives $970 million from UK under G7 loan covered by Russian assets

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Ukraine receives $970 million from UK under G7 loan covered by Russian assets
Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine's prime minister, speaks during a news conference at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, UK, on Thursday, June 22, 2023. (Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Ukraine has received 752 million pounds ($970 million) as the first installment of the U.K.'s contribution to the G7 loan covered by frozen Russian assets, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on March 7.

The U.K. has pledged to lend Ukraine 2.26 billion pounds ($2.9 billion) in three equal installments as part of the G7's Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration scheme, worth $50 billion in total.

"The funds will go towards strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities," Shmyhal said on X.

"I am grateful to (British Prime Minister) Keir Starmer, the U.K. government and our G7 partners for the mechanism to make Russian money work for Ukraine."

At the onset of the full-scale war in 2022, the G7 countries immobilized some $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets. The $50 billion loan, shouldered mainly by the U.S. and the EU, will be funneled to Ukraine's defense needs and recovery and repaid by proceeds from the frozen assets.

"We expect all sovereign assets of the Russian Federation to be confiscated and transferred to benefit our country in the future," Shmyhal noted.

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Martin Fornusek

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Martin Fornusek is a reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, with a focus on analyzing developments related to Ukraine and Russia. His career in journalism began in 2021 after graduating from Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, earning a Master's degree in Conflict and Democracy Studies. Martin has been invited to speak on Times Radio, France 24, Czech Television, and Radio Free Europe. He speaks English, Czech, and Ukrainian.

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