Putin pointed out that there is no final move by the West to steal Russian assets

Western countries have not yet taken the final step to finally steal Russia's assets. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 4.

"They(the U.S. and Europe - Ed.) really haven't made the last step, they have blocked. But so far they have not stolen this money from us definitively," he said at the plenary session of the VTB forum "Russia Calling!".

The Russian leader noted that Russia's foreign exchange reserves have been blocked by European countries and the United States, but they have not been stolen.

According to him, stealing assets is not a reliable way, as the reserves are invested in foreign assets, securities denominated in the national currency. He said they should be invested for other purposes - education, science, the latest technologies, real estate, minerals.

Putin also said that the West was using a scheme with seizures to its own detriment. The head of state added that Russia "must do what is necessary" and called investments in technology, education, science, and logistics reliable ways.

Earlier, on November 28, Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the State Duma's Financial Market Committee, said that the European Commission's allocation of a €18.1bn loan to Ukraine with repayment from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets was a violation of international law and barbarism. According to him, such steps will end badly for Europe.

Western countries stepped up military and financial support for Kiev against the backdrop of Russia's special operation to protect Donbass, which Putin announced on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military. The EU soon approved the decision to freeze the assets of the Russian Central Bank.