00:00The European Commission is proposing alternative solutions to provide financial support to Ukraine.
00:07The president of the institution presented several options on Thursday.
00:12One is to use the European budget's room for manoeuvre to raise funds on markets.
00:17Another possibility would be to let member states raise the necessary capital themselves.
00:22But Ursula von der Leyen is also proposing a third option.
00:25Option three is to have a reparations loan. This is based on immobilized Russian asset.
00:31So this would mean take the cash balances from the immobilized Russian assets, hand them as a loan to Ukraine,
00:40and Ukraine has to pay back this loan if Russia pays back reparations.
00:47This is the most effective way to sustain Ukraine's defense and its economy.
00:53This €140 billion loan would allow member states to avoid issuing new debt.
00:59It would involve using funds held by the Brussels-based company Euroclear.
01:03But to do so, Belgian fears must be assuaged.
01:07Brussels does not want to be left unprotected in the event of legal challenges once the war ends.
01:13Time is running out, however, as Ukraine will need fresh money in the first half of next year.
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