Post-war restoration of Ukraine should be financed from Russian assets, - Professor Philip Zelikow

The post-war restoration and reconstruction of Ukraine should take place at the expense of Russian assets as those of the aggressor state, including the ones arrested in Western countries.

This idea was emphasized by Philip Zelikow, Professor at the University of Virginia, Counselor of the Department of State in 2005-07, at the 15^th annual Kyiv Security Forum, established by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s “Open Ukraine” Foundation.

Professor also emphasized that security and economic issues are closely related, and today this war is waged along the on economic attrition lines as well.

“Russia’s economy has incurred damages, but it is still in a relatively good shape. We are aware of the current situation in Ukraine’s economy. And as the war rolls over, the safety margin competition will receive more attention”, - noted the expert.

According to him, it is important to consider the post-war economic condition of Ukraine after the attained victory.

“When the war is over, Ukraine must emerge strong and independent. And this can be achieved through the following: Ukrainian reforms go on and are funded through compensations from the Russian assets. The major thing is to ensure that Russia pays the full price for its aggression,
 he emphasized.

According to Philip Zelikow, Russia made two strategic mistakes in the war against Ukraine: “The first part contains is a whole range of military blunders. And the second includes hundreds of billions of dollars in countries abiding by the rule of law whereas the Russians decided to ignore it all. So, all such funds must be used for Ukraine to be rebuilt and enjoy a much brighter future.”

Professor also stressed that many Western countries have already frozen Russian assets. Indeed, in the EU alone, these amount to about $250 billion.

“We have the chance to rebuild and restore Ukraine so that it becomes even better than it was before the war. And this renewed Ukraine becomes the symbol of of prosperity and democracy in Europe,” he summarized.

Noteworthy, the 15^th annual Kyiv security forum “For Our and Your Freedom/ Fighting for NATO” will be held on May 25-26, 2023, with the participation of well-known international figures. In particular, at the Forum, the KSF Security Council will be formed and a policy document will be adopted with recommendations for the NATO summit in Vilnius to be held this July.