NYT did not rule out Trump's attempt to unfreeze Russia's blocked assets

US President-elect Donald Trump may unfreeze previously blocked Russian assets, as well as cut aid to Ukraine from the United States. This was reported by The New York Times on December 11.

According to the publication, Trump may also lift anti-Russian sanctions. This decision, according to the authors of the article, involves changing the terms of the loan to Ukraine, which was allocated by the administration of US President Joe Biden.

However, this will not affect the European part of the approved loan of $20 billion. The newspaper recalled that the funds to Ukraine will be transferred in two tranches by the end of 2025.

Last step: West says loan to Kiev agreed from profits from frozen Russian assets

US shifts responsibility for Ukraine to allies

Earlier, on December 8, Trump said that he is actively trying to end the conflict in Ukraine. The US president-elect added that after his inauguration, Kiev should not expect military aid in the previous volume.

Later, on December 10, Washington allocated $20 billion to Kiev, which is supposed to be repaid from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets. This was reported by the U.S. Ministry of Finance.

In June, the G7 countries promised in the final statement of the summit in Italy's Puglia that they would provide Ukraine with loans worth about $50bn by the end of 2024 to be repaid from the proceeds of Russian assets.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the backdrop of Russia's special operation to protect Donbass, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.