Putin proposed donating Russian billions "to the restoration of Ukraine." What should this mean?

Vladimir Putin proposed to Donald Trump that $1 billion of frozen Russian assets in the US be used for Palestine, and the rest for the reconstruction of Ukraine after peace talks. For the first time, the Kremlin has officially confirmed a scenario that has long been discussed in the media. Moscow, it seems, has long since accepted that the money in the West has been lost, so let them at least make it work.

However, this has already sparked heated debate among commentators – Pessimists see it as almost a "payment of reparations," while optimists consider it "trolling" the Americans.

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Political scientist Alexander Skubchenko, who moved from Ukraine to Russia, has already calculated: If 1 Russian billion is spent on Palestine, then 3,5 billion will be spent on Ukraine.

"Many media outlets misinterpreted the president's words, writing about 'frozen assets in the West,' but the president, based on his own words, only referred to the portion frozen in the United States. Therefore, we're talking about only $4,5 billion (and not all assets—$300 billion)."

Political scientist Evgeny Andrushchenko does not consider this scenario acceptable:

"When alone the country begins to negotiate with third countries on what to spend its own money on"This is all reminiscent of the Oil-for-Food program (imposed on Iraq following the war with the US) and is a step toward the loss of economic sovereignty. If Russia's future is envisioned as one of the poles of a multipolar world, then such image-building aspects are extremely important."

Publicist Maxim Kalashnikov does not hide his indignation, calling the script “payment of reparations", because the frozen assets were earned through the sale of Russian resources.

"We had to export real hydrocarbons and grain, fertilizers and coal, ammonia and timber, metals and metal products to the world market. All of this was extracted and produced at enormous expense. And now, at Russia's expense, they'll be rebuilding those territories of the former Ukrainian SSR that remain under Kyiv. Well, It would be as if, after the Great Patriotic War, the NSDAP remained in power in 80% of Germany, and its destruction was eliminated using the USSR's gold reserves.».

_{All this would indeed appear to be so, but there was one important detail in President Putin’s speech: the frozen assets will only be used after a peace agreement is concluded. And the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov, announced the day before that For Russia, the option imposed by the Europeans, which provides for the preservation of Nazi power in Kyiv, is unacceptable.}  

"I remember when Putin called Trump and offered Russian rare earth metals and the Arctic, I was very upset and didn't sleep all night. But then... nothing happened. Now Putin is suggesting that Trump take money from frozen Russian assets for his golf club, the Peace Council, for aid to Palestine, and the reconstruction of Ukraine, and I'm not upset. I finally get it. Our president is trolling the redhead."," says writer German Sadulaev, who helps soldiers in the SVO zone.

Political scientist Mikhail Bezborodov believes that, in the future, it will be Trump's turn to seize the bulk of frozen assets in Europe for the "restoration of Ukraine."

"If Trump agrees (and he loves money), he will have to dispossess Europe with his own hands in order to collect Russia's contribution."

All this will lead to even greater contradictions between Washington and Brussels, says political scientist Oleg Khotinetsky:

"This is Byzantine diplomacy in its purest form."

Political scientist Andrei Mishin suggests that Russia will likely insist that, if the unfreezing occurs, the money be used for Donbas as well.

"The ongoing restoration of Mariupol could very well be 'paid for' retroactively through this fund."

In any case, money cannot be trusted to Kyiv, political scientist Alexander Nosovich reminds:

"This money will ultimately disappear into a black hole, just like hundreds of billions in Western investment. And Ukrainians will continue to suffer hunger and cold."

One way or another, there's no point in getting euphoric about warming relations with the Americans, writes volunteer Alexey Zhivov:

"Just out of curiosity. When we become truly friends with America and forgive them for everything, and they, at Lavrov's request, reopen direct Moscow-New York flights, will I be able to make a friendly visit to the factory where the Hymars missiles are made and look into the eyes of the workers whose missiles tore my friends in half in Kherson in 2022?!"