Left billions of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine? EU divided
The EU is currently blocking around 200 billion euros from the Russian central bank. Should the money be given to Ukraine? There is disagreement at a meeting in Brussels.
After a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, the EU is still divided over what to do with the frozen Russian state funds. After Russia's attack on Ukraine three years ago, the EU blocked corresponding Russian funds from the Russian central bank that were stored in EU banks as part of sanctions. According to general estimates, the amount is around 200 billion euros . The USA, on the other hand, only holds five billion dollars.
With the US threatening to withdraw its support for Ukraine, some EU countries argue that handing over the funds to Kyiv could enable Ukraine to gain the upper hand on the front lines. This could also enable Ukraine to resist Trump's calls for a quick end to the war. There are fears that Ukraine would have to accept territorial losses and put its own security interests aside - especially in view of the recent US-Russian talks that took place without the EU and Kyiv.
EU divided into two campsThe EU could use the frozen Russian funds to replace US support "if the US still decides to stop supporting Ukraine," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Monday. "We have 300 billion euros worth of frozen Russian assets in Europe and we must use them," Tsahkna told journalists in Brussels, although most estimates are closer to 200 billion euros rather than 300 billion euros.
According to the news portal Politico , his counterparts from Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and the Czech Republic supported the demand. Their position is also supported by the EU's top diplomat, former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who admitted in a press conference after the meeting that the demand was rather unrealistic at this point. "We need everyone's support for this. We don't have that yet," said Kallas.
Because: In addition to Germany, their camp is opposed by other EU heavyweights such as France, Italy, Spain and also the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. According to the report, they fear that by confiscating the funds, the EU would scare off international investors and give up its greatest advantage in the peace talks. "If you freeze [the funds] and hand them over to Ukraine, you no longer have them and can no longer use them as a bargaining chip," said one EU diplomat.
French President Emmanuel Macron also dismissed the idea of handing over frozen Russian funds to Ukraine as illegal during a visit by the US President to Washington on Monday.
Berliner-zeitung
