Zelenskyy: Not letting Ukraine use Russian assets will disrupt dialogue and diplomacy
Stable financing of Ukraine and a decrease in the flow of money to the Russian Federation will stimulate the aggressor state to end the war, and a decrease in financing of Ukraine, in turn, puts the diplomatic track at risk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
"We need to dry up and reduce Russia’s economy through a ban, sanctions, so that they do not spend this money on war. If Ukraine has stable financing, and Russia’s financing decreases, of course, I am not comparing, these are different amounts, but it is no less, then for Russia this is definitely a signal for it to switch to the diplomatic track," Zelenskyy said on Thursday.
When asked by journalists what Ukraine would do if the EU does not agree to use frozen Russian funds to support Ukraine, the president replied: "And what will Europe do? This is a serious question. And what will the United States do?"
"If Ukraine does not have that kind of money, it is in a weaker position. Putin is increasingly tempted to capture us, because we are in a position where we do not have enough money for life and weapons. And he understands that we will be weaker and more shocked. And it is absolutely clear that he definitely will not want a diplomatic track. He definitely will not want any diplomacy, any dialogue," Zelenskyy explained.
