Zakhrova Comments on EU Decision to Permanently Freeze Assets

Maria Zakhrova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, has briefly responded to the European Commission's decision to indefinitely freeze Russian assets. Earlier, the head of European diplomacy, Kaia Kallas, announced on the social media platform X that EU countries had agreed to indefinitely freeze the assets of the Russian Central Bank held in Europe. The volume of frozen assets amounts to 210 billion euros.

European Council President Antonio Costa stated that Russian assets in the EU will remain frozen until Russia makes payments to Ukraine. “Thinkers,” he told RIA Novosti.

Since the onset of Russia's special operation in Ukraine, the EU and G7 countries have frozen nearly half of Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves, amounting to around 300 billion euros. More than 200 billion euros are held in the EU, including 180 billion euros stored by the Belgian Euroclear, which is one of the world's largest clearing and settlement systems.

The European Commission has announced that from January to November 2025, the EU will transfer 18.1 billion euros to Ukraine from the funds generated from frozen Russian assets.