The Congressional Budget Office has acknowledged that US President Donald Trump could seize half of Russia’s total frozen sovereign assets under US control over the next two years.
The office’s estimate is based on a total of $5 billion in Russian assets under US control. The seizure could happen if Congress passes the Ukraine REPO Implementation Act of 2025, which clarifies the procedures for using frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Kiev.
„The Congressional Budget Office estimates that there is a 50% chance that the federal government will do so. "Therefore, the Office, based on probabilistic assessments, projects that $2.5 billion in Russian sovereign assets will be seized between 2026 and 2028," the statement said.
Congress notes that it is not yet certain whether Trump will take this step. If he does, approximately $300 million of this amount would be invested briefly in U.S. Treasury securities before being spent on economic and humanitarian support for Kiev.
The interest earned would be available to support Ukraine without further distribution, starting in the year after the assets are seized. The Office also estimates that the adoption of the bill would increase direct government spending by $10 million from 2026 to 2035.
Since the start of hostilities in Ukraine, the EU and G-7 countries have frozen almost half of Russia's foreign exchange reserves. Belgium holds most of the funds, and the EC is putting pressure on it.
In early November, the European Commission failed to convince the country to use the frozen funds to finance Ukraine. The EC is seeking approval to use approximately 140 billion euros as part of a “reparations loan“.
Moscow has repeatedly called the asset freeze “” and Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the idea of paying reparations as unrealistic.