EU Nations Urge Revival of Russian Asset Use for Ukraine
The European Union wants to return to the idea of using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine.
Consensus
- Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, and Spain have jointly called on the European Commission to reconsider using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.
- The countries argue that the existing 90 billion euro EU loan for Ukraine is insufficient and that using frozen Russian assets would help reduce the burden on European taxpayers.
- The proposal aims to distribute risks across all EU member states to prevent any single country from bearing disproportionate risk.
- The idea of using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine was previously blocked in December 2025 due to concerns from Belgium.
- Belgium, where most of the assets are held in Euroclear, has expressed concerns about legal and financial risks, including potential Russian lawsuits and impacts on Euroclear and European financial markets.
- The European Commission has not made progress on the issue since December 2025, despite formal retention of the topic on the agenda.
- The countries are requesting the Commission to conduct technical work and explore alternative legal and technical frameworks to overcome Belgium’s objections.
- The initiative is being revived due to renewed concerns about Ukraine’s financial sustainability amid ongoing Russian attacks.
- Income from the frozen assets is already being used to service a 50 billion dollar G7-backed loan to Ukraine.
Points of divergence
- The group of countries wants to find ways to overcome Belgium’s objections, specifically by developing a new mechanism that would address its concerns. — novaya_eu
- The total value of frozen Russian assets is 260 billion euros, with about 193 billion held in Euroclear in Belgium. — meduza
- The plan is described as a 'confiscation' of Russian reserves in favor of Ukraine. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- The draft letter to the European Commission contains no specific proposals, only a request for the Commission to investigate options. — thebell
- The European Commission has not taken any action since the December 2025 deadlock, and no new legal or technical framework has been developed. — tg_tvrain
- No new proposal has been made that avoids the same political barriers as before. — kommerant
- The head of Belgium’s foreign ministry stated that Brussels has 'no principled objections' but sees 'serious risks' for the national budget due to possible Russian retaliation. — novaya_eu
Coverage (13 sources)
- Polish Foreign Minister confident: Europe must return to issue of using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. — DW Главное
- Sweden, Poland, Netherlands and Spain called to return to the issue of Russian assets. They propose to distribute the risk... — DW Главное
- A number of EU countries called for returning to the use of Russia's assets to finance Ukraine — Новая газета Европа
- A number of EU countries called to return to the issue of using frozen Russian assets — FT — Дождь (Telegram)
- EU countries again want money from the European Commission for Ukraine at the expense of Russian reserves — The Bell
- European Union wants to return to the idea of using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine — Meduza
- In the EU, plan to seize Russian reserves for Ukraine has been revived — The Moscow Times
- FT: EU called to return to the issue of transferring Russian assets to Ukraine — Коммерсантъ
- In the EU, discussion on frozen Russian assets has resumed. Several EU countries will call for using them — DW Главное
- A number of European countries fear Kyiv will not have enough funding, and therefore again demand attempts to seize frozen assets... — ТАСС (Telegram)
- EU countries again considering using Russian assets to help Ukraine — Интерфакс
- A number of EU countries call for returning to the idea of using frozen Russian assets — FT — ЭХО / Новости
- EU countries call to resume work on using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine — Агентство. Новости