As the Reuters news agency has learned, a group of US senators — both Republicans and Democrats — are demanding that US President Donald Trump direct the entire amount of Russian frozen assets — more than $300 billion — to help Ukraine.
Points of attention
- Republicans Todd Young and Lindsey Graham, along with Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Tim Kaine, have sent a joint letter to the State Department Chief Marco Rubio outlining their demands.
- This move reflects the ongoing bipartisan calls for increased pressure on Russia to address the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Senators seek maximum pressure on Russia
According to the latest data, the senators have already sent their letter with demands directly to State Department Chief Marco Rubio.
In it, they asked how the US president's team is considering using all financial tools at its disposal to increase pressure on Russia to end the war against Ukraine.
Specifically, does the administration believe that assets held by the US and EU should be used as leverage in negotiations with Russia to end the war? If so, how? — asked the signatories of the letter.
In addition, US senators are concerned about whether the White House plans to develop a strategy designed to encourage the EU, G7 countries, and other allies to use sovereign Russian assets.
And does the US government support Ukraine's use of Russian sovereign assets under US control to purchase defense equipment?
The signatories of this letter are: Republicans Todd Young and Lindsey Graham, and Democrats Richard Blumenthal and Tim Kaine.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time they have called for increased pressure on Russia in this way.
