Russia will not get its frozen assets back over the war in Ukraine without paying reparations. This was stated by the European Union's foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas, quoted by Reuters.
"We cannot imagine that if there is a ceasefire or a peace agreement, these assets will be returned to Russia if it has not paid reparations", she explained to journalists in Copenhagen.
The EU has frozen Russian assets worth 210 billion euros under sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine and some EU countries, including Poland and the Baltic states, have called on the EU to seize the assets and use them to support Kiev. France, Germany and Belgium, which hold most of the assets, have rejected these calls.
The debate now turns to how the funds can be used after the war in Ukraine is over.