European countries must return frozen assets to Russia if they do not want to be defined as “thieves“ and suffer the most severe consequences for their actions. This was stated by the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, quoted by TASS, reports News.bg.
The reason for her words was the comment of French President Emmanuel Macron, according to whom Europe has the right to dispose of Russian assets frozen in the European Union.
Zakharova emphasized that only Russia can decide what happens to its own assets. She added that countries that “illegally“ withhold funds from the Russian Federation, they must return them if they want to avoid reputational damage.
Meanwhile, EU countries continue to develop legal mechanisms for using frozen Russian funds. Just over 200 billion euros are currently blocked in Belgium.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that it will not leave attempts to confiscate Russian assets unanswered.