Russia warns of sharp reaction if EU gives frozen assets to Ukraine
(MENAFN) Russia has warned that it will take “very harsh retaliatory measures” if the European Union proceeds with plans to redirect frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
“European officials are trying to brazenly pocket Russian funds – the more, they believe, the better off they will be,” Zakharova said during a press briefing in Moscow. She continued, “However, the fraudulent lending scheme they are promoting (to Kyiv) has provoked an extremely muted reaction in many European capitals. The desire for fraud still gives way to fear of legal consequences and retaliatory measures. I repeat, these measures will be very tough.”
Her remarks followed statements by Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who urged the EU to secure full legal guarantees before any potential expropriation of Russian state assets — a position that reportedly caused friction with other European leaders at an informal EU summit in Copenhagen last week. Belgian officials later defended De Wever’s stance, saying his goal was to “protect national interests.”
Most of Russia’s frozen sovereign funds in Europe — valued at over 232$ billion — are held by the Euroclear financial institution in Belgium.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated last month that the EU does not intend to seize Russian assets outright but plans to use the profits generated from them to provide loans to Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously cautioned that any such action by Western governments would “destroy the global financial and economic order” and deepen “economic separatism.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also reiterated that Moscow would “definitely respond” to what he described as theft, emphasizing that Russia intends to pursue legal action against those involved.
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