Staff Reports
The United States and Estonia are teaming up to stick it to Putin and help out Ukraine to the tune of nearly $500,000 in forfeited Russian funds. The folks at the Department of Justice are making moves, y’all.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Estonian Secretary General Tõnis Saar spilled the beans at a big fancy conference in Munich. The U.S. got its hands on the money after shutting down some sneaky business trying to sneak high-tech gear into Russia for their shifty defense and nuclear plans. A Latvian troublemaker also got in hot water for playing a part in this mess.
DOJ to transfer almost $500,000 in forfeited Russian funds to Ukraine https://t.co/VSX07SUL9Q via @dcexaminer
— jst (@retweetingtruth) February 19, 2024
But hold your horses, the U.S. can’t just ship the cash straight to Ukraine. Nope, they’re passing the baton to Estonia, and then Estonia is gonna make the handoff. It’s like a game of fiscal hot potato.
Monaco says this move is all about giving Putin the old one-two punch and making sure Ukraine can bounce back from all the chaos. And get this, it’s not the first time the U.S. has pulled a fast one and sent Russian cash Ukraine’s way. Last year, they dished out $5.4 million to help Ukrainian veterans.
Now, while all this is going down, there’s some tug-of-war happening in Congress over aid for Ukraine. The Senate greenlit a hefty $95 billion, but House Speaker Mike Johnson isn’t exactly doing cartwheels about it. He’s got his beef with the whole situation, but he’s all about giving Putin a taste of his own medicine since that Navalny fella kicked the bucket.
So, there you have it, folks. It’s a wild world out there, but at least Uncle Sam and the gang are making moves to keep Putin in check and give Ukraine a leg up. And hey, who doesn’t love a good game of international financial tag?
