Ukraine 'Optimistic' About Securing U.S. Aid, Calls For Repossession Of Russian Assets

Top Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday that they have received optimistic signals from American lawmakers about an aid to the country as it fights against invading Russian forces, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

Minister of Justice Denys Maliuska and Deputy Justice Minister Iryna Mudra just wrapped up their trip to Washington where they met with policy and lawmakers to both discuss stalled supplemental funding proposal, and to promote a bill that would allow the U.S. to repossess Russian state assets (aka REPO bill) and be used for the benefit of Ukraine.

“We really hope that the supplemental and the REPO bill — together or separately — will be voted on soon enough,” Maliuska told reporters at the Ukrainian embassy in DC.

Both Republicans and Democrats "all agree that support shall be provided," as he put it, adding, "what we call for is to put aside any divisions or political disputes aimed at internal needs".

Kyiv officials made it clear that a failure to supply Ukraine would go down as 'a disaster' on the battlefield.

"Ukraine is fighting this war... We never asked our allies - U.S. or other allies - to send their soldiers to fight." Deputy Minister Mudra emphasized. "If we fail, the war will be spilled over the Baltic, Poland and other neighbours"

Speaking about Russian actions in Ukraine, Mudra described the war as 'genocidal' which is aimed to target not only Ukrainian territory, but its identity, culture, memory.

"The Russian war of oppression has caused immense significance,"she said, adding that the latest assessment of the damages on Ukrainian infrastructure is estimated to be around $500 billion.

Confiscation of Russia’s sovereign assets would help cover a significant portion of those damages and Kyiv hopes that the U.S. can "be a champion" in this. “REPO is not about money... This would be reparations,” the ministers said.