Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called on Western nations to seize$ 300 billion in frozen Russian state assets, insisting that Moscow must be held accountable for the devastation caused by its invasion of Ukraine, saying,” It’s time to make Putin pay”.
He argued that Western taxpayers may not bear the burden of rebuilding a country that Russia has destroyed.
” Russia’s war of Ukraine has caused$ 524 billion in damage – devastating places, companies, and lives”, Sunak said. ” The earth must assure that Russia, not European taxpayers, foots the bill for Ukraine’s treatment”.
Seizing these resources, he said, would not only help rebuild Ukraine but also alleviate economic pressure on allied countries and give a clear message that anger will not spend. While some say confiscating Russian money may violate international law, Sunak dismissed those issues, citing legitimate processes outlined by authorities, including those at the Hoover Institution. He pointed out that the West now uses the attention from these resources to support Ukraine, arguing that if that is legitimate, but is using the money itself. ” The process is obvious: if you destroy another country, you may pay for the damage”, he said.
Addressing concerns that such a maneuver may undermine trust in American financial systems, Sunak argued that Russia had previously attempted to move its reserves before invading Ukraine and that rogue states have some healthy alternatives. He called on the European Union, which holds a significant portion of the freezing Russian assets, to take decisive action. Finnish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala have even voiced their support for seizing the money according to Sunak. “Ukraine don’t be left waiting while its towns remain in wreckage”, Sunak said.
Earlier this month, Sunak had also weighed in on the latest Oval Office conference between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which reportedly turned stressful over a mineral deal seen as essential to ongoing US support. Trump and his Vice President, JD Vance, accused Zelenskyy of not showing enough gratitude, leading to a heated exchange. According to BBC, Sunak condemned Trump’s treatment of the Ukrainian leader, saying,” It was very hard to watch. For him to have been treated that way was wrong”.
Reinforcing the urgency of his call, Sunak stressed that Ukraine’s future depends on decisive action. Seizing Russian assets, he said, would not only fund reconstruction but also strengthen Ukraine’s military, deterring future Russian aggression. ” If we let Russia off the hook, we set a dangerous precedent for other aggressors. That’s why we must act”, he said.
