Loans will be repaid using interest generated by $300bn of frozen Russian assets held in the west

Britain is to lend Ukraine an additional £2.26bn and allow Kyiv to spend the money on weapons to fight off the Russian invasion as part of a wider $50bn (£38.5bn) loan programme expected to be confirmed by G7 members later this week.

The loans will be repaid using interest generated by the $300bn of frozen Russian assets held in the west, with the extra funds promised as the US heads towards a presidential election where support for Ukraine is a divisive issue.

Rachel Reeves said: “The profits being made on those assets aren’t being kept for Russia to use in the future. They’re now being used to fund Ukraine.” The chancellor made the announcement alongside the defence secretary, John Healey.

  • Hemuphone@lemmy.world
    37·
    2 months ago

    So the argument is basically same as saying that the americans committed genocide during vietnam war because of the draft. I think it’s extremely common practice to require citizens to defend your country during an invasion. I would argue this is done in most wars.

    Sure, it’s not great, but I don’t think Zelensky is doing anything unexpected. Any European country would likely do more or less the same if Russia invaded.

    As a European that’s what I expect our government to do during an invasion. I would not call that genocide even if I’m sent to die.

    • Fidel_Cashflow
      72·
      2 months ago

      do you really believe america was defending itself in the Vietnam war? is that an actual opinion that you hold?

      • Hemuphone@lemmy.world
        33·
        2 months ago

        Oh, obviously not, USA was definitely not defending itself. I was just pointing out that it would be ridiculous to say that USA was committing genocide on its own citizens when they sent them to war.

        • wellfillEnglish
          6·
          2 months ago

          Well in the us case and precisely Vietnam, it would not be difficult to show that blacks were disproportionately drafted. The treatment of blacks could then be argued to be intentional. In the case of Ukraine I agree with the mass murder wording, for genocide I think that intent needs to be shown. So zelensky would need to intentionally kill the citizens(as in that being the goal), instead of ‘just’ using them like cheap meat for the machine.

    • Bobr@lemmy.libertarianfellowship.org
      53·
      2 months ago

      So the argument is basically same as saying that the americans committed genocide during vietnam war because of the draft.

      It’s not at all the same. What US government did to their own citizens and to the countries they invaded is also terrible, but US government can’t really genocide US citizens. People in US can have guns and can defend themselves from being kidnapped on a street and put into vans by people in masks. We, Ukrainians, can’t really defend ourselves. Our only options are running or knives / pepper sprays. It is not an effective defence mechanism against people with rifles. I am also not aware of people being kidnapped by US government (at least on the scale Zelensky is doing that) during Vietnam war. Nobody prevented people from leaving the country. The terror that Zelensky is doing is in no way comparable to what you’re trying to compare it with.

      As a European that’s what I expect our government to do during an invasion. I would not call that genocide even if I’m sent to die.

      Well, you don’t value your life or other people’s lives. I do.