The United States Senate is considering a new bill that proposes the regular transfer of profits from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine to support the country’s recovery. The initiative comes from a bipartisan group of senators, including Jeanne Shaheen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jim Risch, Chuck Grassley, Richard Blumenthal, and Lindsey Graham. The bill is a continuation of the REPO law passed in April 2024 and aims to enhance the mechanism for confiscating Russian sovereign assets for the benefit of Ukraine.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Main Provisions of the REPO-2025 Bill
The REPO-2025 project proposes to transfer all frozen Russian sovereign assets under US jurisdiction—approximately $5 billion—to a separate account with interest accrual. It is further suggested that the US president, currently Donald Trump, should direct at least $250 million from this account to support Ukraine at least every 90 days.
Additionally, the bill calls for the US Secretary of State, along with the Secretary of the Treasury, to initiate a large-scale diplomatic campaign. Its goal is to persuade US allies to begin transferring at least 5% of frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine every three months. This is estimated to be around $15 billion per quarter.
Support from Senators and the Western Position
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen emphasized the extensive destruction and human losses caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine and highlighted the importance of holding Putin accountable. She noted that repurposing frozen Russian assets would provide Ukraine with the necessary resources for defense and recovery without imposing additional financial burdens on American taxpayers. According to Shaheen, this initiative demonstrates the determination of both parties in Congress to support Ukraine.
“Repurposing frozen Russian sovereign assets is a necessary step to provide Ukraine with the resources for defense and rebuilding its communities. Importantly, this approach allows us to continue supporting Ukraine without additional costs to American taxpayers. This legislation demonstrates the firm bipartisan resolve of Congress to support Ukraine. I urge the administration and our allies to continue these efforts to make Russia pay the price for its aggression,” she stated.
Sheldon Whitehouse added that frozen assets are the most logical source for funding Ukraine’s recovery and emphasized that the “REPO 2.0” initiative encourages both the Trump administration and G7 allies to take active steps to recover these funds for Ukraine on a clear timeline.
According to Richard Blumenthal, a clear schedule for asset transfers will ensure stable support for Ukraine and accountability for countries that support Putin’s regime.
Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, Western countries have blocked over €260 billion in Russian assets, most of which are held in the Belgian depository Euroclear. While the EU has repeatedly discussed the complete confiscation of these funds, a decision has been made to use only the profits from frozen assets to assist Ukraine.
In the Kremlin, such actions by the West are described as encroachments on state and private property and are considered illegal.