Europe has received clear signals that the US administration wants to use frozen Russian assets as a tool to resolve the war in Ukraine, The Washington Post reports, citing two officials familiar with the situation.
This is raising concerns about a potential clash between Washington and European leaders, who intend to use these assets to aid Ukraine, the article states. Washington proposed a different option, the publication recalls, noting that the fate of the frozen Russian assets was included in the original 28-point peace plan. $100 billion was proposed for investment in post-conflict reconstruction and investment in Ukraine, with the remainder going to a joint US-Russian investment fund.
Now, European leaders, including Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever, are under pressure from Washington. This is because, according to the publication’s sources, Russia is trying to persuade the White House to help seize its assets from Europe by promising the US a share in their use.
“There used to be heated debate about whether to confiscate assets, but now the question is that if the EU doesn’t confiscate assets, the US will,” said Agathe Demarais, an academic expert and former adviser to the French Treasury in Russia.
The question has shifted from whether assets will be confiscated to who will do it, she emphasized. This completely changes the course of the discussion, the expert believes.
Regardless of the outcome of the vote at the EU leaders’ summit, European security officials said they are preparing for further Russian threats, including against the banking system and the Belgian depository Euroclear, where most of the assets are stored.
“We expect an intensification of hybrid warfare starting this weekend,” said one senior European security official.
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