The US House of Representatives has passed a non-binding bill calling for the assets of wealthy Russian individuals to be used to support Ukraine
The US House of Representatives passed a non-binding bill on Wednesday, calling on President Joe Biden to impound the assets of wealthy Russian individuals believed to have ties to the Kremlin. Under the plan, confiscated capital would go toward supporting Ukraine.
Named the Asset Seizure for Ukraine Reconstruction Act, the bill was backed by 417 lawmakers, with eight voting against it.
The document urges the US president to “confiscate any property or accounts subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, valued over $2,000,000, and belonging to Russian energy companies or to foreign persons whose wealth is derived in part through corruption linked to or political support for the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), one of the lawmakers behind the bill, explained that under the legislation US authorities could seize luxury villas, yachts and airplanes belonging to wealthy Russian individuals and companies that have been sanctioned by the U.S.
According to the text, the assets should then be “held, used, administered, liquidated, or sold,” with President Biden using the funds “for the benefit of the people of Ukraine.” The money could be earmarked for “post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine, humanitarian assistance,” as well as “assistance provided to the security forces of the government of Ukraine.” On top of that the confiscated assets could be used to “support refugees and refugee resettlement in neighboring countries and in the United States,” and fund “technology items and services to ensure the free flow of information to the Ukrainian people in Ukraine,” including what was described as “items to counter internet censorship by Russian authorities.”
The bill calls for the establishment of an interagency working group, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the helm, tasked with confiscating assets belonging to foreign individuals who are believed to have links to the Kremlin.
Among the eight lawmakers who did not support the legislation were representatives from both the Democratic and Republican parties, known for their radical liberal or conservative views. The group included representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as well as Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas).
An identical bill bearing the same name was introduced in the Senate back in March.
The latest piece of legislation passed by the House of Representatives came a day after Attorney General Merrick Garland said during a congressional hearing that he “would support legislation that would allow some of that money to go directly to Ukraine.”
ROME, Apr 27 (IPS) – This is an op-ed by Mario Lubetkin, Assistant Director-General of FAOTwo months after the start of the war, on 24 February, the data on the substantial increase in the cost of food products, the rise in prices and shortages of fertilizers, the destruction of land and plantations in Ukraine, the sanctions, the difficulties with the transport of cereals from the world’s main granary, represented by Russia and Ukraine, and the massive migrations, especially from rural areas, are just a few aspects that confirm the pessimism that had been generated after the outbreak of the conflict.
DOMINICA, Apr 27 (IPS) – The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s Global Land Outlook warns that only through protection of existing ecosystems and revival of degraded lands and soils will biodiversity loss be halted and pandemic-risk reduction be achieved.With 50% of humanity affected by land degradation, the world must move to a ‘crisis footing’ to conserve, restore and use land resources sustainably, a major UN report has said.
NPR’s Rob Schmitz talks with nine-time Wimbledon singles champion Martina Navratilova about why she’s upset about Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian tennis players.
Washington offers Kiev more US military intelligence to battle Russia
US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has reportedly lifted some restrictions on intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, sources told Bloomberg on Wednesday, adding that the expanded trade in information is aimed at helping Kiev seize the breakaway republics of the Donbass.
The source claimed Haines told Congress about the expanded intel-sharing after Congressman Mike Turner (R-Ohio), the chief Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, insisted in a classified letter that the Biden administration remove any restrictions on sharing intelligence.
The source claimed Haines told Congress about the expanded intel-sharing after Congressman Mike Turner (R-Ohio), the chief Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, insisted in a classified letter that the Biden administration remove any restrictions on sharing intelligence.
Turner has long criticized the administration’s backing of Ukraine as insufficiently forceful, arguing for more weapons to be sent to Kiev by claiming this would somehow prevent an “actual direct conflict” between the US and Russia. However, Moscow has called for the US and Europe to stop arming Ukraine, claiming that the growing pile of arms sent Kiev’s way amounts to a proxy war against Russia.
Republicans from the Senate Intelligence Committee had previously urged Haines to “proactively share intelligence with the Ukrainians to help them protect, defend, and retake every inch of Ukraine’s sovereign territory” – a category, they argued, including the Crimea peninsula and the Lugansk and Donetsk republics of Donbass.
Last week, the US reportedly lifted some of its geographic limits on transferring “actionable information,” of the sort used in making split-second decisions on the field of battle, allegedly removing language related to specific locations in eastern Ukraine. However, the directive continues to limit information regarding military forces and potential targets across the border in Russia or Belarus.
The White House has previously held back on sharing such information “because that steps over the line to making us participating in the war,” Congressman Adam Smith (D-Washington), who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, said last month. The administration has also refused to give Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the no-fly zone he initially demanded, viewing it as an escalation that would directly involve the US and NATO in the war.
However, some members of Congress have been more hawkish in their approach. Turner made a point last month of asking the NATO commander for Europe, General Tod Wolters, if he was “satisfied” with the speed at which information was reaching Ukraine.
Wolters replied that he was “comfortable” but would like to see it “speed up,” adding that he would “say that even if it occurs in one second, I want it tomorrow to be in a half a second.”
