Posted on 12/03/2025 2:13:46 PM PST by marshmallow
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed to cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s financing needs for the next two years
BRUSSELS, December 3. /TASS/. The European Commission has come up with an alternative financing plan to cover Ukraine's military and civilian needs for the next two years, one that doesn't involve the use of frozen Russian assets, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced.
"We are proposing to cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s financing needs for the next two years - this is 90 bln euros. The remainder will be for international partners to cover. The first option is to raise capital on the capital market, backed by the EU budget, and hand it over to Ukraine as a loan. There needs to be unanimity on this solution," she said at a press conference in Brussels.
The second option, she said, remains using balances of the immobilized Russian assets in the EU for a so-called "reparations loan" to Ukraine. This option would need to be okayed by a qualified majority vote at the EU level, she said.
Both proposals will be published after the EU Council carries out further discussions on them.
The President of the European Commission believes that the expropriation of Russian assets in Europe under the reparations loan scheme will allegedly contribute to ending the conflict in Ukraine. According to her, this would allegedly "greatly help the peace negotiations," as it would "send a signal to Russia that the EU will continue to finance Kiev in the long term," and this would enable Ukraine to negotiate "from a position of strength."
On attempts to expropriate frozen Russian assets
In October, the European Commission proposed expropriating approximately 210 bln euros in Russian sovereign assets blocked in EU countries since February 2022 (185 bln euros of which are blocked in accounts at the Euroclear depository in Belgium) under the guise of a so-called reparations loan to finance Kiev's military and budgetary needs in 2026-2027.
This solution was proposed due to the EU's lack of available funds to continue external financing for Ukraine. The European Commission claims that Ukraine will be required to return this money if it receives certain "reparations" from Russia, the amount of which European experts last year estimated at almost half a trillion euros. Even EU institutions themselves do not believe that Russia will make such payments to Ukraine.
This plan was blocked by Belgium at the EU summits on October 1 and 23. Belgium believes it will bear the brunt of Russia's retaliatory measures, as it is under its jurisdiction that Russia's main assets will be seized, and Belgium will be legally violating state guarantees for the inviolability of these assets. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever noted that this step is unprecedented, that no one had even dared to take it during World War II. Therefore, he demanded legal and financial guarantees from EU countries that they will fully share all of Belgium's risks.
Over the following month, the question of guarantees for Belgium remained unresolved, so it continues to oppose the expropriation of assets.
Earlier, in an interview with TASS, Russian Ambassador to Belgium Denis Gonchar stated that regardless of the scheme used to justify the expropriation of Russia's sovereign assets, it would be theft. He stressed that Russia's retaliatory measures "will follow immediately and will force the West to count its losses."
In other words, Russia can play the asset seizure and release game as well as anyone else.
The EU is pushing its luck trying to seize Russian assets for Ukraine
At some point, this seizure crosses the line to act of war and I’m not sure the EU is ready for that
One thing for sure, Obama and Biden have given us back Cold War foreign policy
Don’t we all miss the good old days of nuclear brinksmanship
These pathetic euro-twits are such fun to watch as they squirm like the feckless maggots they are.
They have all the money in the world to spend on dismantling nuclear and coal energy stations and to give welfare to the World's illegals so they can rape and steal within their countries.
They have all the military they have ever wanted, too.
The EU is happy as a clam.
You have to wonder if someone let the EU appartchiks know that if hostilities broke out as a result of seizing money that wasn’t theirs, Uncle Sugar wasn’t going to be riding in on a white horse.
“At some point, this seizure crosses the line to act of war”
Russia seized about $50bn in assets at the outset of the war. In particular they seized hundreds of foreign-owned aircraft.
https://simpleflying.com/russias-100s-of-seized-leased-jets/
So by your own measure has Russia made war on Ukraine plus everyone they seized assets from?
Feckless maggots = faggots?
"Over the last two years, that saga has continued to unfold as Russia has purchased many of these seized aircraft. Recent reporting suggests many more aircraft will be bought and re-registered in Russia (a minority of aircraft are also being repossessed)."
Good. Let the EU fund the War. It’s in their backyard.
Exactly
This behavior on the part of the EU is unprecedented
Keep flushing money in Ukraine, Ursula. You’ll have less money to support the mooslims who are invading your countries (which is what Europe should be concerned about).
“ At some point, this seizure crosses the line to act of war…”
No, it doesn’t.
The Rooskies invaded Ukraine, and seizing assets of a warmonger isn’t an act of war.
Grow up.
The EU is talking a lot of smack and acting very aggressively towards Russia, almost as if they are taunting or baiting Russia
Not sure this is a same move for the EU
At the end of the day, Russia decides what rises to the level of act of war and what retaliation they will respond with
Not a good idea to poke the bear
Our opinions do not matter to them in the slightest
Why...yes! LOL!
“ Russia has telegraphed that it considers the issue and liquidation of its sovereign assets by the EU as a casus belli.”
OK, Let’s see the Rooskies take on the EU. The EU isn’t going to invade Russia, and Russia isn’t going to attack the EU. What’s Russia’s response to this casus belli? Are they going to drone bomb Brussels? Of course not. Are they going to liquidate their gold to drive down the price in the West?
Paper tiger threats.
“Don’t we all miss the good old days of nuclear brinksmanship”
Careful there. Some nasty frog will accuse you of being an appaser and a Putin supporter.
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