FP reported on the West's desire to seize Russian assets before Trump's inauguration

The West seeks to seize Russian frozen assets before the inauguration of Donald Trump, who won the U.S. presidential election. This was reported by Foreign Policy magazine on December 18.

"A few weeks before Trump will again take a seat in the White House, active actions are unfolding to seize all frozen foreign assets of Russia and use these $300 billion to help Ukraine," - stated in the material.

It is noted that this is due to the fact that the new U.S. administration is hostile to further support for Ukraine. In addition, financial and military assistance from the West is under threat.

According to Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Tribe, "now is really the time" to tap more than $300 billion of principal in the frozen reserves of the Russian Central Bank and pay Ukraine.

Last step: West says loan to Kiev agreed from profits from frozen Russian assets

US shifts responsibility for Ukraine to allies

The day before, the Bloomberg news agency quoted informed sources as saying that the European Union (EU) was assessing the legal and financial consequences of confiscating the assets of the Russian Central Bank (CB) to help Ukraine. It is noted that a number of states, including Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg, are concerned about the idea of confiscation.

Before that, on December 11, the new head of diplomacy of the European Union (EU), Kaja Kallas, said that she doubted the balance of Russian assets that had been frozen by the West.

At the same time, The New York Times reported that US President-elect Donald Trump may unfreeze blocked Russian assets, as well as reduce aid to Ukraine. At the same time, it is specified that the lifting of sanctions against Russia will not affect the European part of the approved loan of $20 billion.

According to the latest data, since February 2022, the countries of the "G7" (G7), the EU and Australia froze €260 billion of assets of the Central Bank. Back in February, Liv Mostri, head of Euroclear's international platform in Belgium, noted that the transfer of proceeds from Russia's assets as aid to Ukraine was very close to indirect confiscation, which could have exactly the same impact on markets as a direct seizure.

Western countries have tightened sanctions pressure on Russia in connection with the special operation to protect Donbass. The decision to launch it was announced on February 24, 2022, after the aggravation of the situation in the region. Soon the EU approved the decision to freeze the assets of the Russian Central Bank.