Updated

A Kyiv Post commentary argued that European governments have financial and strategic reasons, beyond the moral case, to seize frozen Central Bank of Russia assets. The author, who chaired a Chatham House session on practical ways to give Ukraine access to the immobilized assets, said the question was how to do it rather than why. The commentary said a Reparations Loan for Ukraine was derailed at the European Council in December 2025 by a Belgian veto, and that Ukraine should be able to use the full $300 billion plus in assets for its defense. The commentary put Ukraine's financing gap for 2026 to 2029 at close to $100 billion, including $70 billion in 2027, citing a Kyiv School of Economics paper presented at the event. It also cited a World Bank February 2026 estimate of $588 billion in reconstruction costs and Kiel Institute figures of about $100 billion a year in Western support. Kyiv Post's commentary argued that Europe would face much higher defense spending if Russia won in Ukraine, and said the US had given about €115 billion, far less than the $300 billion Trump has suggested.