US President's Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg officially confirmed that Donald Trump will consider the possibility of purchasing American weapons for Ukraine using proceeds from frozen Russian assets.
Points of attention
- An important aspect is the strengthening of Ukraine's positions towards Russia and the strengthening of the American defense industry.
- To achieve peace in Ukraine, not only armaments are needed, but also diplomacy and economic pressure.
- Ukraine and Italy are exploring the possibility of using proceeds from frozen Russian assets to purchase air defense systems and ammunition.
Trump may change approach to providing aid to Ukraine
According to the special representative, the aforementioned scenario could become part of a comprehensive solution.
The key idea is not only to strengthen Ukraine in the war against Russia, but also to strengthen the American defense industry.
We have discussed many times the use of frozen Russian assets to purchase American weapons.
Keith Kellogg
Donald Trump's Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia
Against this background, Kellogg drew attention to the fact that armaments remain the main element for returning peace to Ukraine.
Despite this, we cannot forget about other important factors, such as diplomacy and economic pressure.
According to the special representative, the idea of directing Russian assets to Ukrainian defense needs remains "on the table" for now.
"Arming Ukraine is still an important element, but it is only part of the bigger picture. Using frozen assets to finance weapons purchases is an option that the president of the United States will consider," Kellogg added.
Ukraine and Italy are also discussing this idea
On January 11, official Kyiv and Rome discussed the possibility of using revenues from frozen Russian assets to purchase Italian-made air defense systems and ammunition for them.
This was one of the main topics of negotiations between Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Klochko and a delegation from the Defense Industry Agency of the Italian Ministry of Defense.
"We are interested, among other things, in ammunition of various calibers and air defense systems. However, it is worth understanding the cost and the terms within which they can be delivered to the Defense Forces of Ukraine," said Klochko.
It is also known that the Ukrainian delegation had the opportunity to familiarize itself with the products of Italian defense companies.
Kyiv and Rome agreed to continue work to implement the idea of creating joint industrial projects.
