Russia Warns EU Over Legal Consequences of Using Frozen Assets
The use of frozen Russian assets by the European Union is illegal and will have legal consequences, President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov stated.
Consensus
- Russia's President's press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's financing is illegal.
- Russia will use all legal means to protect its interests and pursue legal action against those who make and implement such decisions.
- The EU has previously used frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine, including a €6.6 billion tranche in May 2026.
- A significant portion of frozen Russian assets are held in Belgium's Euroclear depositary.
- Belgium vetoed the use of these assets in December 2025 due to concerns about potential return risks.
- European countries including Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, and Poland have proposed revisiting the use of frozen assets for Ukraine.
Points of divergence
- The EU has used frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine since 2024, with the last tranche of €6.6 billion in May 2026. — kommersant
- The Moscow Arbitration Court ordered Euroclear Bank to pay approximately €200 billion (18.2 trillion rubles) in May 2025, citing the blocking of securities in 2022. — vedomosti
- As of June 2026, frozen Russian assets in Switzerland totaled 8.5 billion Swiss francs ($10.4 billion), including 14 real estate properties, luxury vehicles, art, furniture, and musical instruments. — vedomosti
- The EU is considering alternative legal and technical measures to bypass Belgium’s veto on using frozen Russian assets. — kommersant
Coverage (2 sources)
- Peskov warned EU about legal consequences of using Russian assets — Коммерсантъ
- Peskov called the use of Russia's assets to support Ukraine illegal — Ведомости