Well Laz, since neither one of us saved up for retirement...
Posted on 06/25/2025 8:30:31 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Keir Starmer has announced a fresh package of military aid for Ukraine – this time paid for using the UK’s interest haul from frozen Russian assets.
The UK will send 350 advanced air defence missiles, built in Britain and adapted in record time for ground launch, using £70m of interest raised through the government’s extraordinary revenue acceleration (ERA) scheme. The move marks the first time the UK has used Russia-linked funds to directly bankroll weaponry for Kyiv.
The missiles will be deployed through UK-supplied Raven systems – five more of which are en route to Ukraine, taking the total to 13. Originally designed as air-to-air missiles, ASRAAMs have been retrofitted by RAF engineers and MBDA UK to fire from the back of a British-made truck. The conversion took just three months.
Starmer, speaking before Nato’s annual summit in The Hague, said: “Russia, not Ukraine, should pay the price for Putin’s barbaric and illegal war. It is only right we use seized Russian assets to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences. The security of Ukraine is vital to our own.”
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
Starmer runs up the Jolly Roger.
Have a care, Keir - they used to hang pirates in the old days.
In what way, Keir? Could you articulate that?
Military aid goes to Ukraine.
Doesn’t cost the U.S. a cent.
Russian trolls still mad.
Starmer seems determined to start WW3. Putin’s patience with the U.K. is running out, and retaliation is likely.
For the love of God, the UK leases their ICBMs from Lockheed Martin.
Using the interest on frozen assets was considered at length by European nations to support the war. Too many countries were afraid of the legality of that maneuver so Starmer is saying the UK will go it alone.
“Thou shalt not steal” as in using interest from seized Russian assets seems to apply to this situation.
Ukraine stooges on Free Republic are ALL IN on stealing.
“Thou shalt not kill” as in invading Ukraine also seems to apply.
Two wrongs don’t make a right, stooge.
How ironic that Perfidious Albion betrayed the Cossacks who fought against the Soviets to the Red Army commissars at the end of the war...
I’ll bet the Ukraine stooges never read that particular chapter about the Brits.
War indeed involves the breaking of all commandments with highly toxic levels of self-righteousness covering the pride of the belligerents.
In the end how many “Ukrainiacs” are ready to drink Zelensky’s Kool Aid?
Lol...do these deceitful Western cucks believe this is legal, or do they not care.
LOL. At this point, is there even anything left of the “frozen Russian assets?” Either that, or they are invested somewhere that spins off interest that even makes Nancy Pelosi’s investments look like chump change.
There is another aspect to all of this.
Interest rates are three or four percent. On the seized assets that generates a certain amount of interest. That amount is not enough to fund what they want to fund. They dare not grab the principal for the various reasons, one of which likely is at some future date after the war is over, the matter will be taken up in Russia courts. And since the war would be over it may also be taken up in external courts. Required refund could be pretty ugly.
But beyond that the problem is that three or four percent interest. There is an undercurrent of talk suggesting that the assets themselves will be moved from where they were configured that was generating three or four percent into what is being called higher return vehicles. Well, higher return vehicles have higher risk. Their configuration is that they don’t really care if the money is lost. If it’s an investment loss that somehow can get interpreted is less worrisome than outright theft.
If that money is lost in this more risky investment seeking higher return that court case after the war is going to generate devastating bills for the relevant governments. It’s hard to refuse to pay a judgment that is international. There is so much trade moving around to and fro that seizing that trade to cover the cost of a judgment is reasonably easy to do.
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