CBS News: Trump considers new funding for Ukraine, should send a message to Putin

Media sources say the US president has the authority to confiscate $5 billion in Russian assets

Tetiana Lanchukovska

News editor at LIGA.net

07:08

Donald Trump (Photo: Will Oliver/EPA)

US President Donald Trump is considering approving new funding for Ukraine for the first time since taking office in January. This was reported by the TV channel CBS News with reference to unnamed diplomatic sources.

They said that the new funding could be used to send a message to Russia, which has stepped up its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine in recent days .

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Trump hinted earlier this week that he plans to send Ukraine more defensive weapons. Just days before, his administration had suspended some arms shipments, a move that one White House official called part of a broader global review.

The source of possible new funding for Ukraine is unclear, the journalists noted. But CBS News sources said that Trump has $3.85 billion left over from the presidential troop reduction authority of the 46th US President Joe Biden, which could be used to send US military equipment to Ukraine.

Former officials also told CBS News that the current US president has the authority to confiscate about $5 billion in foreign Russian assets and send the funds to Ukraine, although neither he nor his predecessor used this authority.

Since the beginning of 2022, the US has sent billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine. Trump has previously criticized this spending and pressured Ukraine and Russia to work on a peace deal, occasionally criticizing both countries.

In recent days, Russia has drawn the ire of the American president. Last week, he said he was "very disappointed" to speak with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and later suggested that Russia's strikes on Ukraine might prompt him to send more weapons to Kyiv.

On July 8, after a temporary suspension of aid, the Pentagon announced that the United States would send additional weapons to Ukraine, which was later confirmed by Trump.
On July 9, the WSJ reported that Trump was considering sending additional Patriot systems to Ukraine after recently promising to strengthen Kyiv against Russian attacks.