Sybiga named the scale of Ukraine's losses from the war and called for transferring Russian assets

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga stated that the scale of damage caused by Russia exceeds 600 billion dollars. Against this background, Kyiv will insist on making decisions on the direct use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

Sybiga said this on August 18 at a joint press conference with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Belgium Maxime Prévot.

Sybiga, citing World Bank estimates, said that the damage caused by Russia to Ukrainian infrastructure amounts to more than 600 billion dollars. According to him, it is difficult for Ukraine to overcome consequences of such scale on its own, so partner support remains necessary, particularly for the macro-financial stability of the state.

At the same time, the latest official World Bank RDNA5 assessment, released in February 2026, divides several indicators. As of the end of 2025, direct damage to Ukraine was estimated at 195.1 billion dollars, economic and social losses at 666.7 billion dollars, and needs for recovery and reconstruction over ten years at 587.7 billion dollars.

Separately, Sybiga called for intensifying work on a legal mechanism for using frozen Russian assets. According to him, direct use of these funds could be an important resource for strengthening Ukraine. Kyiv plans to raise this issue in European and other capitals and counts on a collective decision by partners.

A significant part of frozen Russian sovereign assets is located in Europe, particularly in the Belgian depository Euroclear. Belgium does not rule out the possibility of using these funds for the benefit of Ukraine, but demands that possible legal and financial risks of such a decision be distributed among European states.

Based on materials from: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, World Bank, Channel 24