Money on weapons: How Ukraine get $ 50 billion on air defense

These funds are planned to be directed to the purchase of air defense products for the protection of civilians and the country's infrastructure. Zelensky stressed that Ukraine does not ask for free help, but intends to pay for these air defense systems. In addition, the President noted that the previous US military aid package has not yet been exhausted, and Ukraine is counting on further support.

He also stressed the need to obtain ten air defense installations, including Patriot complexes, which effectively knock down Russian ballistic missiles. The experts surveyed by focus have named a number of mechanisms for obtaining the necessary funds to purchase a military assistance package by Ukraine.

Doctor of Economics, Migration Policy Expert and Financial Banking Programs for Migrants and Diaspora Andriy Gaydutsky sees three main ways where Ukraine can take funds to buy aircraft for $ 30-50 billion. "The first option is negotiations with our European partners. They used to provide mostly grant, that is, irreversible.

If you look at the data of the King Institute of the World Economy, which publishes reports on a monthly basis, the lion's share of all help is "metal", that is, tanks, air defense, missiles, etc. , but not money. "Financial assistance that comes with money, a little. And we now need financial, including grant assistance. And if the US refuses to provide it, more dialogue with Europe, and possibly with South Korea and Japan, which in general also support Ukraine. Gaidutsky.

About $ 300 billion of assets of the Russian Federation has been frozen in the world. Most of them rotate through the Euroclear system in Belgium and generates 4-5 billion euros annually. This profit is formed through the interest rates of financial regulators of the US and the United Kingdom. That is, one of the options is to take a loan under the guarantee of future income from these Russian assets, " - continues the expert.

The second resource is part of the gold -exchange reserves that the National Bank of Ukraine runs. Now these reserves are about $ 40 billion. " I think that at least 10 billion of them could be used to buy. But this requires negotiations with the IMF. After all, the IMF, as the main lender, views these reserves as a guarantee to repay its loans. The IMF funding comes to the Ministry of Finance's account, and the National Bank is then calculated with the Fund, in particular, using reserves.

It is a well -established mechanism, " - explains the expert. The third option is special bonds of the Diaspora Bonds class, focused on Ukrainian migrants and diaspora, in particular in the USA, Canada, UK. In the case of Ukraine, it is a financial instrument that can be released under the state guarantee and The protection of the country, and the protection of taxpayers Philanthropy, but once it was a key source of currency for the country.

"In our case, such bonds should be currency because we buy aircraft for dollars or euros and have to return funds in the same currency. Therefore, it is important to marry currency risks. By the way, Canada at the beginning of the war in 2022 has already released bonds to support Ukraine for $ 500 million. There may be a few billion dollars.

The coordinator of the expert groups of the economic expert platform Oleg Getman names several more possible mechanisms for obtaining the necessary funds for the purchase of military assistance by Ukraine. One of them is the reduction of government expenditures. "Now on the social sphere, higher education, other directions is spent about the same as in pre -war times, and sometimes even more. Although some of these expenses are not now a priority.

Analytical centers have already calculated: the potential for reduction is about UAH 80 billion a year. wars, "says Hetman's focus. The second direction is the ERA program - frozen Russian assets, some of which are already planned to be transferred to Ukraine. It is $ 50 billion that should be allocated for two years. These funds are already in the accounts of the World Bank and are gradually transferred to Ukraine.

"It is important that this money has no restrictions on use areas - they can be directed to both budget deficits and social or military needs, including air defense. Another option for obtaining the necessary funds to Ukraine traditional financial instruments. These are: these tools have been working from the beginning of a full -scale war. Ukraine receives loans at a rather low interest, and this resource remains relevant. The expert emphasizes.

According to the SBU Explorer and the military analyst Ivan Stupak, whether the US will sell a package of military assistance to Ukraine on what funds will be purchased for. "For example, if we have taken money in China to buy American equipment, it is unlikely that the United States would agree. For them, China will have an impact in Ukraine, buy our deposits, goes into industry - and the US do not want it. On the other hand, there is Europe.

For example, European banks have been ready to give money for a number of euros. Like, it is "dirty" or "bloody" money. According to him, it is difficult to evaluate the US response now and whether they will agree to Ukraine's military assistance. Their policy is now unpredictable. But Stupak is sure that everything will depend, first of all, the origin of money for which Ukraine will buy aircraft. Focus wrote about another theme of Zelensky's speech at a closed meeting with journalists on April 9.