July 15, 2025

Russia, not European taxpayers, should foot the bill for U.S. military equipment provided to Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on July 15.

Sikorksi made the comment after a meeting with his EU counterparts, referring to the U.S. plan to bill its European NATO allies for arms supplied to Ukraine. The minister suggested the costs should be covered by confiscating the assets of Russia’s central bank that remain frozen in the West.

“I asked my fellow ministers who should pay for this equipment,” Polish news agency PAP quoted Sikorski.

“Should it be European taxpayers or, in my opinion, it would be better if the aggressor paid using his frozen assets?”

On July 14, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States and NATO had reached an agreement on providing weapons to Ukraine. According to the president, Washington will sell the equipment to European NATO allies, who would then deliver the equipment to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte later clarified that the agreement involved a “huge amount of military equipment,” including air defense systems and missiles.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz later said Berlin would supply Ukraine with Patriot missile systems as part of the new U.S. deal. Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden also expressed readiness to participate in the initiative.

The New York Times reported that the equipment NATO plans to buy from the United States for Ukraine is nearly ready for immediate shipment.

https://english.nv.ua/nation/russia-should-pay-for-ukraine-s-weapons-not-europe-50530061.html