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US Senate panel backs 'big hammer' plan to seize Russian assets to help Ukraine
Reuters ^ | January 24, 2024 | Patricia Zengerle

Posted on 01/26/2024 2:26:53 PM PST by UMCRevMom@aol.com

A U.S. Senate committee approved legislation on Wednesday that would help set the stage for the United States to confiscate Russian assets and hand them over to Ukraine for rebuilding after the destruction of the nearly two-year-long war.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 20 to 1 in favor of the unprecedented "Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act."

If it were to pass the full Senate and House of Representatives and be signed into law by President Joe Biden, as expected, the act would pave the way for Washington's first-ever seizure of central bank assets from a country with which it is not at war.

Senator Ben Cardin, the Democratic foreign relations committee chairman, was optimistic about the bill becoming law, noting that it has broad support, from both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and House, as well as from Biden's administration.

"Ukraine is on the verge of being overrun by Russia if we do not give them the help that they need... and we all know that it will not end with Ukraine," he said, before the committee voted. The House Foreign Affairs Committee has passed a similar bill, also with overwhelming bipartisan support. Cardin said he expected the Democratic-majority Senate and Republican-majority House would be able to resolve the differences between the two bills.

The EU, United States, Japan and Canada froze some $300 billion of Russian central bank assets in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Only about $5 billion to $6 billion are in the United States, with most held in Europe, and most of those in Belgium's Euroclear central securities depositary.

"This is intended to be a big hammer. It's intended to be a very new way of attacking a country that does not behave itself," Republican Senator Jim Risch said.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Government
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To: kiryandil

That was SOP for well over a hundred years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Alien_Property_Custodian


21 posted on 01/26/2024 3:07:52 PM PST by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
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To: MeganC; kiryandil; All

The way I have seen it explained:

Sanctions are temporary policies that to provoke a change in the behavior of Russia: especially to reduce ability of Russia invasion/war. for example by curbing the country’s revenues from hydrocarbon exports.

Russia’s central bank holdings are already frozen and will remain so as long as the war continues. If Russian reserves are not given to Ukraine during the war, chances are these assets will be used as partial payment of reparations that Russia will eventually pay as part of a peace agreement.

Many policymakers, like former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and former World Trade Organization chief Robert Zoellick are in agreement that transferring the assets now makes sense as a deposit against the future reparations.


22 posted on 01/26/2024 3:07:59 PM PST by UMCRevMom@aol.com (Pray for God's intervention to stop Putin's invasion of Ukraine 🇺🇸 )
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To: UMCRevMom@aol.com
What's the latest lie the Ukrainians are trying to peddle?

They got at least 4 of them out there.

.


23 posted on 01/26/2024 3:08:48 PM PST by Karl Spooner
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To: kiryandil

That was SOP for well over a hundred years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Alien_Property_Custodian


24 posted on 01/26/2024 3:09:23 PM PST by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
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To: UMCRevMom@aol.com

It just continues to get more ridiculous.


25 posted on 01/26/2024 3:09:51 PM PST by Wdempsey (Democrats and slinkys.. Both useless but fun to push down stairs.v v ely)
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To: UMCRevMom@aol.com

“It is beneath you to repeat Russian propaganda.”

Look in the mirror.


26 posted on 01/26/2024 3:09:57 PM PST by McGruff (Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f*** things up - Barack Obama)
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To: McGruff

Wrong.

No need to reflect upon my actions as I don’t repeat propaganda & certainly repeat fake Russian news.


27 posted on 01/26/2024 3:12:03 PM PST by UMCRevMom@aol.com (Pray for God's intervention to stop Putin's invasion of Ukraine 🇺🇸 )
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To: cowboyusa

It seems to me that you all are on the verge of solving your border problems. I hope Governor Abbott and co. manage this. They have been very clever.

But this is an internal American political problem. Your political opponents can solve this with a few phone calls, telling the border patrol to start doing their jobs again. Your opponents just need to be persuaded to do so.

You are not being invaded by a foreign power, with tanks and artillery and missiles.


28 posted on 01/26/2024 3:15:41 PM PST by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
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To: UMCRevMom@aol.com

Aiding and abetting an invasuon of the USA... we should be able to do the same to those...


29 posted on 01/26/2024 3:15:58 PM PST by beaware (It's the seriousness of the Charge... and the Intent...)
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To: kiryandil

The Ukrainian crazies on FR and in the US Senate don’t seem to understand the implications of arbitrary seizure of assets.
————-
If/ when they seize ( steal) the assets of a sovereign nation, the USD is toast. When the USD loses it’s reserve currency status ( which we are witnessing), EVERY asset held in America, by Americans will be affected, pensions, 401K’s, Social Security, etc…..to the uninformed, last month or so the Fed had to buy $200 billion in Treasury notes because there was not enough buyers….do the Ukie war supporters realize what happens when there are NO buyers for US debt instruments?

Collapse, suddenly, without warning…historically called the “ Waterfall” event…it has occurred to every nation that has fallen…..as we are now paying $$$ 1 trillion in interest payments on our debt alone- we have entered the race to the bottom.

….and Vlad says CHECKMATE again.


30 posted on 01/26/2024 3:18:24 PM PST by delta7
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To: All

This is a painfully stupid idea , so I assume our government will go through with it


31 posted on 01/26/2024 3:19:49 PM PST by escapefromboston (Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.)
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To: UMCRevMom@aol.com
That’s the same mentality the U.S. brought to the table when it seized Iran’s assets, starting back in 1979.

Eventually the U.S. government ends up just giving the money back in the form of some kind of agreement over Iran’s nuclear program.

32 posted on 01/26/2024 3:21:48 PM PST by Alberta's Child (If something in government doesn’t make sense, you can be sure it makes dollars.)
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To: All; Allegra; bimboeruption; dforest; Rocco DiPippo; tennmountainman
Multiplezeepers-2

(((ZeePING!)))

Zeepers are getting fragile as reality closes in... 
be gentle with them.
To be added to the ZeePingList, ping me bro... 
we need laughter!

33 posted on 01/26/2024 3:22:21 PM PST by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: buwaya

The Biden regime, and the deep state ARE a foriegn power


34 posted on 01/26/2024 3:24:08 PM PST by cowboyusa (YESHUA IS KING OF AMERICA! DEATH TO MARXISM AND LEFTISM! AMERICA, COWBOY UP!)
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To: escapefromboston

Yep, it won’t take long for the unintended consequences of this to become evident.


35 posted on 01/26/2024 3:24:13 PM PST by Charles Martel (Progressives are the crab grass in the lawn of life.)
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To: Empire_of_Liberty

Please note:

“The EU, United States, Japan and Canada froze some $300 billion of Russian central bank assets in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.”


36 posted on 01/26/2024 3:24:17 PM PST by UMCRevMom@aol.com (Pray for God's intervention to stop Putin's invasion of Ukraine 🇺🇸 )
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To: UMCRevMom@aol.com

In the list of bad ideas from our elected leaders this on is a Picasso.


37 posted on 01/26/2024 3:26:47 PM PST by VTenigma (Conspiracy theory is the new "spoiler alert")
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To: UMCRevMom@aol.com
"This is intended to be a big hammer. It's intended to be a very new way of attacking a country that does not behave itself," Republican Senator Jim Risch said.

Well if your goal is to destroy the worlds' current economic order and end the US dollar as the worlds reserve currency this would be the most efficient way.

I'm sure the globalist at Davos are doing summersaults. No other nation will ever trust the US with their money again. If you own US bonds, sell, sell, sell.

38 posted on 01/26/2024 3:27:57 PM PST by usurper (AI was born with a birth defect.)
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To: cowboyusa

Please understand the porous US/Mexican border is a different issue not being discussed on this thread.

Every Freeper is against allowing illegal immigration which I agree is DISGUSTINGLY UNBELIEVABLE!


39 posted on 01/26/2024 3:29:51 PM PST by UMCRevMom@aol.com (Pray for God's intervention to stop Putin's invasion of Ukraine 🇺🇸 )
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To: cowboyusa

This is the difference between analysis and emotion.

They are not a “foreign power”. Their supporters are your neighbors, or sometimes your families. Ok, in some places they may be “neighbors” some significant distance away, but in most cases no, they are very likely to live next door. Or in your home.

This political split has long been in the process of turning into a social split. But even if this conflict descends into Hutu-Tutsi madness, its still a domestic issue.


40 posted on 01/26/2024 3:32:03 PM PST by buwaya (Strategic imperatives )
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