Report: Possible Harris Win Undermines $50B Ukraine Loan

Above: Democratic presidential nominee, US Vice Pres. Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally on August 29, 2024. Image copyright: Win McNamee/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • The prospect of US Vice Pres. Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party candidate for president, winning the 2024 election, has undermined a Western plan to loan Ukraine $50B, according to a report in Politico.

  • At a G7 leaders meeting in June, when former Pres. Donald Trump had strong momentum in the election, US and Western leaders agreed — in principle — to provide Ukraine with a loan coming from the interest on frozen Russian assets. It was a means of, as one diplomat put it, "Trump-proofing" Western military support for Ukraine.


The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

The $50B loan for Ukraine was seen as a wider necessity with the prospect of Trump returning to the White House. Now that Harris is leading in many polls, the urgency of getting this deal agreed is not as imminent as Harris would likely continue US military support for Ukraine.

Pro-Russia narrative

The idea that this was ever a loan is illegitimate. This is the theft of Russian central bank assets, which Ukraine will never repay. The money will disappear into the abyss of loan repayments Ukraine has to make, as well as its budget of theft and embezzlement.


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