The United States and the European Union are financially supporting Ukraine thanks to … Russia, the New York Times reports in an article, adding that Donald Trump may reduce, but not stop, aid to Kiev.

As highlighted, the Biden administration transferred $20 billion to Ukraine on Tuesday, providing an urgently needed “financial lifeline” in the form of a loan to be repaid with interest from the frozen assets of Russia’s central bank.

The transfer of funds comes as Ukraine faces a period of serious uncertainty with President-elect Trump poised to take office next month while Russia’s war continues unabated.

Mr. Trump and Republicans in Congress are unlikely to continue providing Ukraine with the same levels of economic and military support that the country received from Democrats and the Biden administration. But the conflict continues, and Ukraine relies heavily on international aid to keep its economy afloat.

The $20 billion is part of a $50 billion loan that the Group of 7 countries decided on earlier this year. The United States and the European Union imposed sanctions by freezing the assets of Russia’s central bank, most of which are located in Europe, after it invaded Ukraine in early 2022.

On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen described the loan as one of the most important things she has tackled during her tenure.

After extensive discussions about how this money could be used to help Ukraine, it was agreed that interest on the assets would be used to back a loan. This approach effectively forces Russia to pay for the damage it has caused to Ukraine, and allows the United States and Europe to provide aid without placing an additional financial burden on their taxpayers.

The loan represented a policy achievement for the Biden administration and Yellen. It came after months of debate over how to provide more aid to Ukraine, as the US no longer has the same fervor to provide it with more money.

The United States and Europe also saw the loan, which would be disbursed to Ukraine in installments, as a way to ensure it would continue to have financial resources even if Trump won the election.

In theory, Trump could try to cancel the loan by reversing sanctions that have frozen Russia’s central bank assets. However, Republicans would likely oppose such a move, which would not affect Europe’s portion of the loan.

Janet Yellen stressed on Tuesday that the loan should make it clear to President Vladimir Putin that Western nations are not abandoning Ukraine.

“Right now, Putin is engaging our coalition in a contest of (political) will as he bets that we will tire and eventually back down,” said Ms. Gelen in her statement. “But through creative policymaking and G7 unity, we are sending an unmistakable message of resolve by making Russia increasingly bear the cost of its illegal war, instead of the taxpayers in our coalition.”