French lawmakers have voted in favor of a resolution calling for the expropriation of Russian assets in Europe.
In a nonbinding resolution passed late Wednesday, they urged the Élysée Palace and its allies to provide more support for Ukraine against Russia.
The resolution recommended the seizure of tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian assets "to support the Ukrainian resistance and reconstruction of Ukraine."
Until now, the French government has only frozen the Russians' assets, arguing that dispossessing Moscow of the assets trusted to Paris would be against international law.
However, French lawmakers are now thinking that the recent resolution might persuade the Élysée Palace to adopt a new position on the issue.
The resolution also encourages the other member states of the European Union to seize frozen Russian assets in their countries and use the funds to "build independent European defense capabilities."
On Tuesday, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said he did not rule out the European Union seizing frozen Russian funds to support Ukraine.
However, he also noted that the Finance Minister Eric Lombard had warned against such a move saying it would risk damaging Europe's financial stability.
Since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, the EU and G7 have frozen some 300 billion euros of assets of the Russian Central Bank, the vast majority of which it had placed with Euroclear, an international funds depository based in Brussels.
EU states in May 2024 agreed to use the interest generated by the frozen Russian assets, around 3 billion euros a year, to support the war.
The United States has adopted a different stance, demanding Kiev should return the funds financed by the West in its war with Russia.
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said he wanted Americans to “get back” their money spent on aiding Ukraine.
Trump proposed a deal in which Ukraine would grant the US access to its mineral and oil resources as compensation for the billions of dollars in wartime aid provided.
“I want them to give us something for all of the money that we put up. We’re asking for rare earth and oil, anything we can get,” he told delegates at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland.
“We’re going to get our money back because it’s just not fair. And we will see, but I think we’re pretty close to a deal, and we better be close because that has been a horrible situation,” Trump added.
Moscow has warned if its assets are taken, Russia will have a "painful response" in store.
Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/03/13/744405/French-lawmakers-urge-government-seizure-Russian-assets
No comments:
Post a Comment