Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has urged the Verkhovna Rada to promptly return to considering the bill on the special confiscation of former officials' funds.

"I appeal to members of the parliament to immediately return to voting for this bill, to provide the Ukrainian law enforcement system with the possibility of carrying out the procedure of confiscation and collecting funds in the amount of $1.5 billion stolen from the Ukrainian people as revenues to the state," he said at a cabinet meeting in Kyiv.

The premier noted that, in accordance with the Law of Ukraine on the National Budget, part of these funds should be directed to the Ministry of Defense to fulfill the state defense order. A different part should be spent on the social and economic development of the state.

"Now I appeal to all political parties of the democratic coalition: why was this bill was not supported yesterday? Who from the democratic parties supports protecting [disgraced former Ukrainian President Viktor] Yanukovych and preventing the possibility of confiscating the money stolen from the Ukrainian people?" Yatseniuk said.

He added that the amount of these funds is equal to the volume of aid Ukraine receives from the U.S. government.