US Ambassador to NATO says Europe should take a more aggressive stance against Russia

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker believes that European allies should take a "more aggressive" approach to Moscow and continue implementing plans to use frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine's military efforts. He expressed this opinion in an interview with Bloomberg.

Whitaker said the allocation would be a "significant step" in keeping Kyiv funded for "several years" economically and militarily.

"But I think it will also point to a new step – a more aggressive European policy. Now is the time to act boldly," the official said .

The media reminded us that the European Union is trying to agree on a plan to use the frozen assets to provide loan financing for Ukraine. Belgium, which holds most of Euroclear's assets, has expressed objections. The country talks about the prospects of Russian lawsuits and punitive measures.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Bloomberg last week that the plan is a matter of survival.

At the same time, Whitaker said that the United States continues to seek opportunities for negotiations to resolve Russia's war against Ukraine. A "devastating" sanctions bill in Congress is "just waiting for the green light," he added, noting that US President Donald Trump supports it and may want to include Iran.

• The idea of a "reparations loan" of up to 140 billion euros, based on the cash balances of Russia's frozen assets, was put forward on September 10.
• Thanks to the "reparations loan", Ukraine could receive 45 billion euros annually for the next three years.
• On November 13, EU finance ministers agreed during their discussions that the use of frozen assets of the Russian Federation is the most effective of the three options the EU is considering to help Ukraine.