WASHINGTON — Top Senate Republicans are pressing President Trump to allow Ukraine to purchase American weapons using the roughly $5 billion in frozen Russian funds in the US as the Kremlin resists the White House’s peace plan to end the war.
The move would help push Europe to unleash $162 billion in Russian assets frozen on the continent to Ukraine — at least half of which could be invested in the US defense sector, according to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch (R-Idaho), Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.)
“Once seized, these funds from Europe will be used to purchase weapons from US manufacturers to provide to Ukraine,” the Republicans wrote Wednesday to Trump in a letter obtained by The Post. “This is a good deal for America; it will bring in orders that will help accelerate our domestic defense industry and help ensure Ukraine’s ability to defend itself in the near future.”
“US and European taxpayers should not continue to foot this bill indefinitely, and leveraging Russian sovereign assets from Europe would significantly ease the burden,” they said of tapping the 2024 REPO Act to send Ukraine the frozen Russian funds.
The push comes as Europe on Thursday met to discuss releasing the $162 billion in Russian assets. While most countries were in support of the idea, some — such as Vladimir Putin ally and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — were hesitant.
“Some in Europe are using US inaction in seizing Russian sovereign assets in the United States as an excuse to justify their own inactions,” the senators wrote.
Russian dictator Putin has so far resisted the US peace plan, declaring in a speech Wednesday that Moscow will settle for nothing less than Ukraine to surrender “unconditionally.”
That demand came despite Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner having settled roughly “90%” of the most difficult issues in their latest discussions, a senior US official said Tuesday.
Europe’s talk of giving away frozen Russian assets has also enraged Putin, with the dictator lashing out by calling the continent’s leaders, “little pigs.”
“Everyone believed that Russia would be destroyed and collapsed in a short period of time,” Putin said. “And the European piglets immediately joined in this work of the former American administration, hoping to profit from the collapse of our country.”
But the Kremlin’s outrage at seeing its assets given to its enemy should only motivate the US to release the $5 billion on its shores, applying pressure in a way that costs American taxpayers nothing while giving Putin a reason to end its war, according to the lawmakers.
“Despite your relentless efforts to facilitate an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine, Putin continues to wage his war,” the senior Republican senators told Trump. “As long as Russian aggression continues, it remains in the United States’ best interests for Ukraine to be able to defend itself.”
“In light of Russia’s continued aggression and refusal to be a good faith partner in a peace process, it is both legally and morally appropriate for these funds to be seized and transferred to Ukraine,” they added.
For now, the US intends to push ahead with its peace talks, holding separate meetings with Russian and Ukrainian officials in Miami this weekend.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
