U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen surprised Kiiu on the 27th (local time) to reiterate U.S. support for Ukraine resisting Russian aggression.
According to Reuters, Minister Yellen stressed that “the United States will stand by Ukraine no matter how long it takes” after meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Dennis Schmihal.
Prime Minister Schmihal said he and Yellen had discussed additional U.S. sanctions against Russia that would confiscate Russian assets and help rebuild Ukraine.
However, Minister Yellen explained in a briefing that there are still legal obstacles to completely seizing $300 billion (about 396 trillion won) of assets from Russian banks frozen by sanctions.
Yellen also announced that the US had transferred $1.25 billion (1.56 trillion won) to Ukraine, part of its recently announced $9.9 billion (13 trillion won) economic and budget aid.
According to the Treasury Department, Yellen held a closed-door meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later in the afternoon.
Treasury added that Yellen had said she welcomed President Zelensky’s recent efforts to strengthen governance and fight corruption.
Secretary Yellen’s visit came just a week after US President Joe Biden’s visit to Kiiwu.
Like President Biden’s visit, Secretary Yellen’s visit to Kiu was kept secret in advance.
Shortly before Yellen arrived in Kieu, an air raid alert went off in the city.
“I am witnessing firsthand the victims of Putin’s brutal war,” Yellen laid a wreath on a wall of remembrance for the fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
Meanwhile, since the war began, the United States has provided more than $13 billion in economic and budgetary aid to Ukraine. With the announcement of Minister Yellen this time, the total support budget is expected to increase to more than 14 billion dollars (approximately 18.48 trillion won), and a total of 8.65 billion dollars (11.4 trillion won) is expected to be additionally supported by September 30. do.
The fund is part of the $45 billion (59.42 trillion won) worth of new military, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine approved by the U.S. Congress in December.
Yellen stressed that such economic support is the foundation of Ukraine’s resistance as it supports the Ukrainian government and key public services, and helps with school education and pension payments.
“Maintaining an effective government is essential to Ukraine’s ability to respond to Russian aggression and emergencies,” she added.
Ukraine is estimated to need between $40 billion and $57 billion in external funding to sustain its economy this year. To this end, it is negotiating a loan program worth 15.5 billion dollars (approximately 20.46 trillion won) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.