Frozen Russian assets should go to Ukraine, not US, Germany's Merz says
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken out against transferring Russian assets immobilised in the European Union to the United States – an idea that is said to have been discussed during peace talks advanced by US President Donald Trump.
Source: Deutsche Welle, a German international broadcaster and media outlet, citing Merz
Details: Merz said it is Ukraine, not the US, that should receive the frozen Russian assets held in the EU
Quote: "That money should go to Ukraine."
More details: Merz said that Ukraine needs help to get through the winter and will probably require financial support for the next two to three years.
Quote: "We need funds for that. This is an intra-European issue and I see no economic possibility of transferring the funds we have mobilised to the United States. And the US government knows this."
More details: Merz also said that somebody in the US wants to "gain a certain economic benefit" from a possible settlement of Russia's war against Ukraine.
Quote: "That is legitimate but it is not the aim of the operation we will launch together in Europe in the coming days."
Background:
- Bloomberg has reported earlier that the United States lobbied several EU nations to block plans to tap frozen Russian central bank assets to finance a substantial loan to Ukraine.
- Washington also considers using the frozen Russian assets in its plans to enable peace talks with Moscow, suggesting they could help finance US-led post-war investments.
- On Friday 5 December, Merz postponed his planned trip to Oslo and will instead travel to Brussels for talks on Russia's frozen assets.
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