By the end of this year, the leaders of the wealthy economies that make up the Group of Seven (G7) have agreed to provide $50 billion to the war-torn country of Ukraine.

The substantial financial assistance would originate from Russian assets that have been blocked by the European Union (EU) and the G7 plans after Russia invaded Ukraine.

The strategy calls for setting up a fund under the guidance of a global institution like the World Bank and contributing "Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration" (ERA) loans. The revenue from the $300 billion worth of frozen Russian assets, which can only be accessed once a year in the form of $3.2 billion in income will be used to repay these loans.

G7 plans
Image Source: www.g7italy.it

The European Union has been more critical, fearing the financial and legal implications of confiscation, than the United States, which first suggested confiscating Russian assets outright. Brussels, on the other hand, wants to divert any windfall earnings from the frozen assets into Kyiv. This strategy keeps the assets safe from seizure and possible legal challenges while enabling their use to support Ukraine.

The majority of the frozen assets, or two-thirds of them, are held by the Belgian clearinghouse Euroclear and are situated within the European Union. The European G7 members do not now intend to take part in the new program, and the EU has already set up a structure for distributing investment income from these assets to Ukraine Instead.

The necessity for unanimous consent from EU members to extend sanctions against Russia every six months is one of the plan's many obstacles. Concerns exist over the potential for third nations like China to cut back on their investments in the West out of fear of asset seizures, as well as what would happen if peace was declared and the assets were released from the freeze.

Russia has issued threats of retaliation, with President Vladimir Putin approving the seizure of US or "associated" people's assets in Russia in May. The main goal of the G7 meeting, which will begin today onwards in Italy, is to support Kyiv in its conflict with Russia.

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