As noted by Deputy Head of the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Anatoly Klochko, Ukraine is currently negotiating with Italy regarding the purchase of air defense systems with funds received from profits from frozen Russian assets.
Points of attention
- Ukraine is in talks with Italy to acquire air defense systems using funds obtained from profits from frozen Russian assets.
- The EU is expected to provide financial support to Ukraine, with the country set to receive 50 billion euros for priority expenditures, including in the defense sector.
- The funds from the EU will aid in bolstering Ukraine's defense sector, with potential purchases including ammunition and air defense systems.
- The Italian delegation has shown readiness to support Ukraine and participate in leveraging the EU budget to benefit Ukrainian industry.
- Ukraine has received the first tranche of 3 billion euros from the EU under the G7 program, sourced from profits from frozen Russian assets.
What is known about Ukraine's purchase of air defense systems in Italy with funds from frozen Russian assets?
Following the negotiations, which were led by Klochko on the Ukrainian side, the representative of the Ministry of Defense noted that the possibility of using the proceeds received by Ukraine from frozen Russian assets to purchase air defense systems was discussed with 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 terms within which they can be delivered to the Defense Forces of Ukraine," the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Defense emphasized.
Representatives of the Ukrainian delegation had the opportunity to get acquainted with Italian-made defense products, and the representative of the Defense Industry Agency of the Italian Ministry of Defense, Marcello Mele, spoke about the mechanisms of potential cooperation.
The Italian delegation expressed the country's readiness to be not only an important partner in supporting Ukraine, but also to participate in the correct distribution of the EU budget to use all the capabilities of Ukrainian industry, including, representatives of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine noted.
What is known about Ukraine's receipt of the first funds from the EU from profits from frozen Russian assets?
The budget received the first 3 billion euros from the EU as part of the G7 aid program from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets.
The funds received will be used to finance priority expenditures from the state budget.
In total, within the framework of the G7 initiative, Ukraine should receive 50 billion euros, of which 20 billion should be provided by the European Union.
According to the Ministry of Finance, in total, Western countries have frozen 210 billion euros of Russian assets.
Depending on the level of interest rates, the income from these assets is currently estimated at 2.5-3 billion euros per year.
