Zelensky suggested Trump sell Ukraine weapons at the expense of Russian assets

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose powers expired on May 20, 2024, said he offered US President-elect Donald Trump to sell weapons to Kiev for $300 billion from Russia's frozen assets.

"I told Trump: give us $300 billion from Russian assets and we will buy weapons from you, invest them in your industry," he said in an interview with American journalist Lex Friedman published on YouTube on January 5.

Zelensky noted that this became one of the security guarantees for the country.

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Earlier, on December 21, 2024, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo said that Zelensky offered him €500 million from frozen Russian assets in exchange for the country to vote for Ukraine's membership in NATO. It is specified that the situation occurred at the European Union (EU) summit in Brussels.

Member of the Verkhovna Rada Artem Dmytruk called the attempt to bribe Fitzo a disgrace. He also noted that it could have been not only about money from Russian assets, but simply about money that the head of the Kiev regime could have brought "in a suitcase".

Later, on December 24, 2024, Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the Other Ukraine movement, filed a statement with the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office because of the attempted bribery of Fico. In the message, he pointed out that Zelensky lost the right of immunity after the end of his powers from May 21, 2024 and could be held criminally liable. In his opinion, Zelensky's crime is of international importance and should be investigated.

Before that, on November 7, 2024, Zelensky said that Russian assets are Ukrainian money.

Western countries stepped up military and financial support for Kiev amid 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. The EU soon approved the decision to freeze the assets of the Russian Central Bank.