Trump wants to help Ukraine at the expense of China: new fund will receive funds from trade duties
17 October 11:22
US President Donald Trump is working to create a “victory fund” for Ukraine, which will be financed by new duties imposed on China.
This is stated in the publication of The Telegraph, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
As noted, Trump has instructed his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to present this plan to his European counterparts before Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington.
The publication emphasizes that this was a significant change in the position of the current American president on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
His words were echoed by Pentagon chief Pete Hagel, who said at a meeting with NATO colleagues that the United States is ready to support Kyiv “in ways that are only available to the United States” if Russia continues to ignore peace talks.
In turn, Bessent said that Trump had instructed him to “let our European allies know that we will support what you call a ‘Russian oil tariff’ for China or a ‘Ukrainian victory tariff’ for China.”
What is known about the future fund
According to the plan, the money from this fund will be used to purchase weapons for the Ukrainian army, including long-range Tomahawk missiles, if European allies support the initiative.
The plan envisages a 500% rate on Chinese goods, and the funds will be used to strengthen Kyiv’s military capabilities.
This initiative is aimed at maximizing economic pressure on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, as the Russian military machine is largely dependent on Chinese support.
Diplomatic sources in Washington told The Telegraph that the idea of imposing sanctions on China for buying Russian oil had previously encountered obstacles from European governments.
US funds and programs that actively help Ukraine
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the United States has become one of Ukraine’s main state donors, having introduced a number of funds and programs for military, economic, and humanitarian support.
In early May, Ukraine and the United States signed an agreement to establish the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. The parties will invest in joint projects in Ukraine, including the extraction of critical minerals. Important steps to launch the fund were planned in September this year. Once launched, the Fund will start investing in mineral extraction projects, including critical minerals that are of great interest to the United States.
The Fund will be managed jointly by Ukraine and the United States on a parity basis. The Fund is created on a 50/50 basis. Neither party will have a majority vote, reflecting the equal partnership between Ukraine and the United States
U.S. Department of the Treasury
The fund provides for joint management and investment in infrastructure reconstruction, energy modernization, and other economic projects.
Military and security assistance through Congressional and Pentagon funds
The U.S. Congress has allocated hundreds of billions of dollars to help Ukraine through various budgets: Department of Defense, Department of State, USAID, and other agencies.
U.S. Government Accountability Office
For example, the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) program regularly provides weapons, ammunition, support for equipment repair, and training to the Ukrainian military.
Also, the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) mechanism is widely used, which is an authorization for the administration to directly transfer weapons from existing US stockpiles to Ukraine.
