---
title: "Sybiha: Ukraine's growing defense spending should be covered by frozen Russian assets"
description: "Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that the country's growing defense and reconstruction spending should be covered by frozen Russian assets, rather than by the funds of European taxpayers."
date: 2026-08-28T07:56:05.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sybiha-ukraine-defense-spending-frozen-russian-assets
tags: [ukraine, frozen-russian-assets, defense-spending, eu, andriy-sybiha]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Sybiha: Ukraine's growing defense spending should be covered by frozen Russian assets

![Ukrainian representative at an international meeting discusses funding defense spending through frozen Russian assets](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/28/sybiha-rashody-na-oboronou-iz-zamorozhennyh-aktivov-rf/sybiha-rashody-na-oboronou-iz-zamorozhennyh-aktivov-rf-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Sybiha proposed covering Ukraine's growing defense and reconstruction spending with frozen Russian assets.
- The minister thanked Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, and Spain for their letter on immobilized Russian assets and called for a rational discussion.
- Context: the European Commission had earlier proposed a 140 billion euro reparations loan, while the war damage, by Sybiha's estimate, has exceeded 600 billion dollars.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that the country's rising defense and reconstruction expenditures should be covered by frozen Russian assets. He made this remark while thanking the foreign ministers of Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, and Spain for their joint letter on immobilized Russian assets. According to the foreign minister, it is precisely these funds that should help Kyiv close the growing gap in its defense and infrastructure reconstruction budgets.

### The logic of using Russian assets

Sybiha argued that Russia refuses to end the war and continues to escalate terror, which means Ukraine must cover the shortfall in its constantly growing defense and reconstruction spending. "It is entirely fair and logical to use Russian assets, rather than only the money of European taxpayers, to cover the additional costs of defending Ukraine and the rest of Europe from the Russian threat," the minister emphasized while speaking at an international event.

### A call for a rational, not emotional, discussion

The head of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry stressed that the discussion of the mechanism for using the frozen funds should be rational, not emotional. In his view, experts are capable of developing real solutions that comply with European standards, international law, and the principle of the rule of law. At the same time, Sybiha noted that the risks associated with the mechanism can be collectively mitigated and distributed evenly, without placing an unfair financial burden on individual EU member states.

### Context: the EU reparations loan and the scale of the damage

Sybiha's remarks fit into a broader context of European initiatives. Earlier, the European Commission proposed providing Ukraine with a 140 billion euro reparations loan from frozen Russian assets, a significant portion of which was planned to be directed toward weapons purchases. The minister himself had previously noted that these funds are critically important for Kyiv, as the total war damage, by his estimate, has already exceeded 600 billion dollars.

### Expectations and next steps

Sybiha added that he expects to discuss the issue of using frozen assets with his EU counterparts next week. Thus, the topic is shifting from a declarative one to a subject of concrete negotiations, where the key elements will be the legal design of the mechanism and the model for distributing risks among European states.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Ukraine's growing defense spending should be covered by Russian assets, - Sybiha](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zrostayuchi-vitrati-oboronu-ukrayini-mayut-1787903477.html) - Первичный источник: прямое заявление Сибиги, благодарность Швеции, Польше, Нидерландам и Испании, цитата о рациональности и распределении рисков.
- [Ukraine's Foreign Minister Sybiha speaks of Kyiv's and Europe's trump cards against Russia](https://www.kp.ru/online/news/6992878/) - Корреспондирует с темой заявления Сибиги о механизмах давления и использования активов РФ.
- [Sybiha: Now is precisely the time for Europe to act decisively to bring peace to Ukraine](https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2026/05/28/8036706/) - Смежное ранее заявление Сибиги (май 2026) о необходимости решительных действий Европы; использовано как контекст, не противоречит основной новости.
- [Head of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Sybiha speaks of Europe's 'trump cards' against Russia](https://news.mail.ru/politics/71051450/) - Независимое отражение того же выступления главы МИД Украины.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Who proposed covering Ukraine's spending with frozen Russian assets?
**A:** This position was put forward by Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who thanked Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, and Spain for their letter on immobilized Russian assets.

### Q: What argument does Sybiha make in favor of using Russian assets?
**A:** He points out that Russia refuses to end the war and is escalating terror, so it is fair to use Russian assets, rather than only the money of European taxpayers, to defend Ukraine and Europe.

### Q: What figures are mentioned in the context?
**A:** The European Commission had earlier proposed a 140 billion euro reparations loan from frozen Russian assets, while the war damage, by Sybiha's estimate, has exceeded 600 billion dollars.