EU countries, including Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain and Poland, are calling on Brussels to renew efforts aimed at using frozen Russian sovereign assets to finance Ukraine, the British newspaper "Financial Times" reported today, quoting the Swedish foreign minister on the subject, BTA reported.
This step is in response to concerns that Kiev is facing a new crisis in terms of aid from the West, the publication adds.
A letter from a coalition of countries, prepared to be sent today to the European Commission, calls for work on the plan in question to be resumed, the newspaper reports, citing four of its sources.
"Financial Times" recalls that in the winter, the intention to use over 200 billion euros of Russian central bank assets held in the EU did not yield results because Belgium, on whose territory most of the mentioned assets are located, blocked the initiative.
The letter asks for clarity on possible progress on the issue of how any alternative legal and technical frameworks can circumvent the Belgian veto.
“Now is the time to start a new discussion on how we can use the frozen Russian assets in Ukraine and to our advantage”, said Maria Malmer Stenergard, Sweden's foreign minister, quoted by the "Financial Times". “This is a fair and reasonable way to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself, as well as the whole of Europe,”, she added.