Transfer of Russia's frozen assets to Ukraine will undermine Putin's confidence - The Atlantic

Delaying the transfer of Russia's frozen assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine strengthens Putin's faith in his ability to win, whereas sending this money to Ukraine will undermine his confidence.

Anne Applebaum, a staff writer at The Atlantic, said this in an article published on Monday, Ukrinform reports.

"The dysfunction in Washington and Brussels is bolstering Putin's belief that he will win the war simply by waiting for the West to give up. Handing $300 billion of Russian assets to Ukraine will put a dent in this confidence," the article reads.

The West fears that the sale of Russia's seized assets will undermine confidence in the U.S. dollar, and the willingness of people, companies and countries to keep savings in the American currency will be under threat, the author said.

The transfer of Russian assets to Ukraine will show Putin that the West is willing to take creative, even unprecedented, measures to win the war. It will also be popular, not only in Ukraine but in the U.S. and Europe. Most people will intuitively understand the fairness of making Russia pay for its own acts of vandalism.

"Whatever reputational damage this transfer of assets might cause for the West, it is vanishingly small in comparison with the reputational damage that the West will suffer if Russia succeeds in conquering Ukraine. The sooner we make this decision, the more quickly the impact will be felt on the ground," the article said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address on December 17 that Western countries were preparing the necessary "outlines for decisions" that are needed for the transfer of Russia's frozen assets and its affiliates to Ukraine.