The process of using frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine consists of three steps, the last of which is their complete confiscation, according to the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba.
Kuleba's three steps
"At the beginning of the year, I said that the story with frozen assets consists of three steps. First, the decision on the tax on interest from frozen assets. This decision was made," Kuleba said.
The second step is the future of the interest. Kuleba read the publication of his Czech colleague Jan Lipavský that Ukraine would receive 3 billion euros this year and said that the total value of frozen assets is about 260 billion euros.
“So, despite our gratitude for this decision, the amounts are disproportionate,” the diplomat added.
Kuleba outlined the third step, which Ukraine had discussed at the beginning of the year. According to him, the assets should be confiscated. He clarified that he understood Germany's concerns. But the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs is confident that a solution to the problem must be found, and Russia must pay for its aggression.
Germany's reaction
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in response to a question from an RBC-Ukraine journalist, stated that in the EU there is a common position on the interest from Russian assets, which should be used for Ukraine's self-defense.
“There is also a US position to expand the use of these assets. It is important for us to take into account all aspects of international law. We support using the interest from the frozen assets,” she added.
What preceded it
The EU has about 260 billion euros of frozen Russian assets, but certain countries do not support their confiscation. Therefore, the European Union has come to a different decision, namely to transfer the revenues from Russia's frozen assets to Ukraine.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said today that the EU had decided to transfer to Ukraine the funds received as a result of the freezing of the Russian Central Bank's assets.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said that Ukraine could receive interest on the frozen assets of the Russian Federation by July of this year.
