Russian senator says EU will have to 'reap what it has sown' in Ukraine, pay for rebuild

Russian Politics & Diplomacy January 23, 16:08

According to Alexander Voloshin, the cancellation of the so-called post-war reconstruction plan at the World Economic Forum sends a clear signal that Ukraine has lost its priority status for US President Donald Trump’s team

MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. With the US signalling that it won't help foot the bill for rebuilding Ukraine, the onus will fall on the EU to bear the financial burden for the country's reconstruction alone, Russian Senator Alexander Voloshin from the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) said.

"The cancellation of the so-called post-war reconstruction plan at the World Economic Forum sends a clear signal that Ukraine has lost its priority status for US President Donald Trump’s team and is gradually being pushed to the periphery of Washington’s foreign policy agenda. In the framework of modern American pragmatism, this project is increasingly viewed as an unnecessary burden from which the US seeks to disentangle itself," Voloshin explained. He further opined that the US is shifting the financial, political, and economic responsibilities for Ukraine onto the European Union.

"For Brussels, this means escalating costs and the need to independently address the consequences of Ukraine’s course - initiatives that Kiev once pursued with the tacit approval of the EU. For European bureaucrats and the ambitious leaders of individual European nations, the time has come for them to reap what they have sown," the senator added.

Earlier, the Financial Times reported that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky had hoped to sign an agreement on Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction following his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Davos, but this did not materialize. The newspaper described this development as a "blow to Zelensky." According to the FT, one of the reasons the US declined to endorse the post-war reconstruction plan at Davos was because it wanted to consult with Moscow on the matter.

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