EU plan to seize £80bn in Russian assets would justify war with Europe, Kremlin warns
This threat comes two days after Putin warned Russia was “ready for war” with Europe
A European Union plan to seize £80billion of Russian assets to fund the defence of Ukraine would justify Vladimir Putin waging war on all of Europe, the Kremlin has warned.
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Hardline Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev warned on Thursday that Russia would see the plan as a direct act of war.
"If the crazy European Union does, after all, try to steal Russian assets frozen in Belgium under the guise of a so-called 'reparations loan', Russia may well view this move as tantamount to a casus belli with all the relevant implications for Brussels and individual EU countries,” he said.
This threat came two days after Putin warned Russia was “ready for war” with Europe if it was provoked.
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On Wednesday, the European Commission announced plans to raise nearly £80bn for Ukraine by borrowing against frozen assets or seizing them entirely.
The plan could help fund Ukraine’s war effort until 2027, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said.
“We are proposing to cover two-thirds of Ukraine's financing needs for the next two years. That's €90 billion,” she said.
“Since pressure is the only language the Kremlin responds to, we can also dial it up.”
European leaders have avoided the full seizure of Russian assets thus far, choosing instead to freeze the funds.
This warning comes ahead of crunch talks between Ukrainian and US delegates today.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff, alongside Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, will sit down with Rustem Umerov just two days after the Americans failed to secure Russian support for their recently drafted 20-point peace plan.
It comes after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Vladimir Putin of "wasting the world's time" by stalling peace talks.
After talks ended without an agreement, Mr Sybiha said: "Russia must end the bloodshed it has started. If this doesn't happen and Putin just spits into the world's face once again, there must be consequences."
Mr Subiha added that the US delegation in Moscow had told colleagues that talks were of "positive significance" for the prospect of peace.
The Kremlin, for its part, denies rejecting the 20-point peace plan.
Speaking on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it is “wrong” to say Russia has rejected the peace deal and said the talks were only “an exchange of opinions” rather than concrete negotiations.