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Europe shuts US out of Russian assets conversation
The Kyiv Independent • • nation
Key Points:
- Multiple EU leaders strongly rejected the U.S. proposal to hand over 200 billion euros of frozen Russian assets in the EU to the U.S. for use as leverage in peace talks with Russia.
- Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo emphasized that the assets belong to Russians responsible for the war in Ukraine and must remain frozen in Europe, with efforts focused on using them to support Ukraine.
- Austrian Prime Minister Christian Stocker and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz both insisted that the frozen assets should remain under European control, citing concerns about U.S. policy volatility.
- EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas reaffirmed that decisions regarding the frozen assets and sanctions are exclusively European matters.
- The EU summit's draft conclusions indicate that leaders will continue exploring ways to utilize the immobilized Russian assets to finance support for Ukraine, but unanimous EU agreement is required for any action.
