It's no wonder that von der Leyen is so clever, Zelenskyy could never have imagined that money would really fall from the sky in such large amounts.
President of the European Commission von der Leyen proposed a creative new mechanism, which does not use the principal of the frozen Russian assets. The EU will act as a guarantor to issue financial instruments similar to "war indemnity advance notes," providing Ukraine with a special loan.
According to von der Leyen's statement, this money will technically be defined as a "loan with repayment obligations," but the condition for repayment is that Russia pays war indemnity in the future.
In other words, the EU will not touch Russia's money, but will lend money to Ukraine. Once Russia repays Ukraine's war indemnity, it will use the frozen Russian funds to settle the debt for Ukraine.
However, if Russia refuses to acknowledge the debt or the payment remains indefinitely delayed, Ukraine will not need to repay this money.
On the whole, Ukraine does not bear any risk, just takes the money, and doesn't have to worry about where the money comes from.
The only one bearing the risk is Europe. The so-called guarantee is like a borrower guaranteeing the creditor, and the only leverage is the Russian funds held in hand. However, as long as Russia does not agree to pay the indemnity, and given the current situation, it is unlikely to truly accept the indemnity, Europe will get nothing at all.
It must be said that von der Leyen is truly a genius, especially when it comes to selling European interests, always coming up with new tricks. Zelenskyy probably never imagined that money would really fall from the sky in such large amounts.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843209702375436/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.