Russia may try to return some of the frozen assets through its partners. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, specifying that Kiev has information about such a risk.
„Yes, that's true. We have such information. But we discussed the details with the Europeans. Today this is completely under the control of Europe, which means that the assets are safe at the moment“, Zelensky said.
According to him, the return of Russian funds is one of Moscow's goals. The Ukrainian president urged European countries not to allow a change that would allow Russia to regain control of the assets.
Dispute over the future of Russian funds
Zelensky called on Europe to guarantee the protection of the entire amount of frozen Russian assets and find a mechanism for their use in support of Ukraine. He warned that if the funds were returned, Russia could direct them to finance the war.
“We cannot allow him to receive more money“, said the Ukrainian president, proposing the creation of a separate financial mechanism under the control of the European Union. According to him, this would reduce the risk of the assets being unfrozen and distributed in a way that does not protect European interests.
The topic was raised against the backdrop of information about an American proposal to European countries to unfreeze some of Russia's sovereign assets. According to the “Financial Times“ The idea was linked to an attempt to intensify peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. European representatives opposed the proposal, „Ukrinform“ reported.
Europe retains control
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that decisions on frozen Russian funds should be made by Europeans, and not transferred to the control of the United States. Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever also spoke out against discussing the use of the assets of the Russian Central Bank.
Zelensky did not specify a specific timeframe for Russia to make such an attempt, nor did he announce a decision on the final transfer of the funds to Ukraine. It has only been confirmed that European countries continue to control the assets, while the question of their future use remains a subject of political and legal disputes.
Sources: finance.liga.net, ru.interfax.com.ua, eurointegration.com.ua