Congress is finally poised to help Ukraine in a material way at no cost to US taxpayers by using frozen Russian funds here in the United States. The Trump Administration has been unwilling to do so under existing authority.
More than two years ago Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed into law the bipartisan Reconstruction and Economic Prosperity Opportunity for Ukrainians Act (REPO Act). Among other things, this law authorizes the president at his discretion to “seize, confiscate, transfer, or vest” already immobilized Russian sovereign assets languishing in the US financial system for transfer to Ukraine. That was more than two years after Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine a second time in violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.
President Biden never fully used this new authority, but he did work with G7 and other nations to create a $20 billion loan from the United States to be repaid over time by the interest on those frozen assets.
Continuing Russian aggression and war crimes against civilians must no longer go unanswered or unpunished.
Almost one year ago Representatives Zach Nunn of Iowa and Josh Gotthemier of New Jersey introduced their bipartisan Preventing the Escalation of Armed Conflict in Europe Act of 2025 (PEACE Act). Less than two weeks after it was introduced, the House Financial Services Committee under the leadership of Chairman French Hill of Arkansas passed this Russian sanctions bill with a critically important amendment targeting the immobilized Russian assets. This new, super-charged Russian sanctions legislation was approved last July by the overwhelming vote of 53-1.
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To date, President Donald Trump has not used this authority either. Nor is there any indication that he will do more to help Ukraine in any meaningful way and punish Russia for its continuing war crimes, including war criminal Putin’s heinous abduction and “re-education” – i.e., militarization – of innocent Ukrainian children.
Why go after Russian funds now to help Ukraine?
Simple. With no current, official data publicly available, credible estimates of the total amount of immobilized Russian funds in the United States range from $19 billion to over $50 billion of an estimated $300 billion worldwide. Just imagine how much these frozen funds would weaken Russia and help Ukraine, especially if Ukraine could buy US weapons with those transferred funds.
The best option is to seize these Russian funds for transfer to Ukraine and simultaneously authorize Ukraine to purchase US-made or sourced defense articles. That is precisely what Chairman Hill’s new bipartisan amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would do. If approved by the House Rules Committee, here’s how it would work.
Congressman Hill’s amendment establishes a new mandate for the Treasury Secretary, requiring that he shall “seize, confiscate, transfer, or vest” these Russian funds for rapid transfer to Ukraine.
At any time within 90 days of enactment, the treasury secretary must deposit these funds in the Ukraine Support Fund, which was authorized by the 2024 REPO Act but not yet established. The secretary would assume the same powers the president has under REPO Act Section 104(b) and require him to act more swiftly compared to current law with a highly streamlined funds transfer to Ukraine.
Importantly, these new powers also include authorization for Ukraine to purchase US “defense articles” at a critical point in the war where the tide appears to be turning in Ukraine’s favor.
Congress can act to help Ukraine and simultaneously punish Russia.
The president could still waive the secretary’s action for a period of 180 days up to one year if he sends Congress a written report stating that Russia was taking “meaningful steps to cease its destabilizing activities with respect to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” or, alternatively, if he deemed his waiver was important to US national interests.
Russia is nowhere close to ceasing its illegal aggression and ongoing war crimes any time soon. And our vital long-term national interests lie with Ukraine as a democratic European nation, not war criminal Putin and his despotic Russia.
Currently, it would be impossible for President Trump to send Congress a credible report justifying a waiver, especially since Putin, who Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has acknowledged is a war criminal during a 2025 Congressional hearing in front of Hill’s committee, is trying to destabilize Europe for Russia’s imperial advantage. Putin’s actions and hybrid warfare in Europe and his alliance with Iran in the Middle East are diametrically opposed to our vital national interests, which we share with our NATO allies and European trading partners.
Continuing Russian aggression and war crimes against civilians must no longer go unanswered or unpunished. Congress can act to help Ukraine and simultaneously punish Russia. Enacting Chairman Hill’s PEACE Act amendment into US law as part of this year’s NDAA will send a strong signal for other nations to follow our lead to help Ukraine financially and militarily at no cost to taxpayers.
The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.
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