France warmed up to grasp Russian assets in Europe – Politico

French ministers have also publicly rejected the possibility of legal reasons, as these assets are the property of the Russian Central Bank. The Minister of the Economy, Eric Lombard, told Franceinfo that, as France is not directly at war with Russia, “these assets cannot be seized because it would be contrary to the international agreement”.

US President Donald Trump, an apparently ready to disengage from European security, the continent rushes to consolidate his defenses and his support for kyiv. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Tuesday a plan to send loans of up to 150 billion euros to governments to help them increase military spending.

Trump’s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine and to appear nonchalance about the history of Russia to violate the peace agreements aroused renewed interest in the idea of ​​taking advantage of Russian frozen assets.

The Baltic and Nordic countries, the neighbors of Russia, think that money should be given to Ukraine immediately. France, however, plans only to use these assets to guarantee more loans to support Ukraine, according to the manager quoted earlier in this history.

The senior French civil servants were publicly, which has suggested that the 200 billion euros could provide Brussels and kyiv a powerful lever effect on the Kremlin in any peace negotiation, led by Washington or otherwise. The Financial Times reported earlier in talks between France, Germany and the United Kingdom to use frozen assets as a means of bringing Russia to comply with a peace agreement. However, Macron’s office denied that such discussions had taken place.

French President Emmanuel Macron said last week in Washington that frozen assets should “be part of the negotiation at the end of the war”, while his European Minister Benjamin Haddad told France 2 on Tuesday that the use of assets as a leverage was something that the government would consider. However, like Macron and Lombard, Haddad noted the legal issues at stake – and the fact that the seizure of assets without Claire legal authority could scare investors.

The British government has supported the use of frozen assets to guarantee loans for Ukraine, and although Germany has opposed this option, the government of the new designer Friedrich Merz could change course. Norbert Röttgen, a principal legislator of the Christian Democratic Union of Merz, called to use these assets to support kyiv.

Gregorio Sorgi and Giovanna Faggionato contributed to this report.