Merz did not rule out a clause on frozen assets of the Russian Federation in the new package of EU sanctions

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has not ruled out that the new package of European Union (EU) sanctions against Russia will include a provision on the possibility of disposing of Russian assets frozen in Europe.

"We are just clarifying this. If there is an opportunity to raise money on a pure legal basis, then we will do it," the politician told Die Zeit newspaper on May 15.

At the same time, the Chancellor acknowledged that this step carries a certain risk for the European financial market.

Limited vision: what has the European Union included in the 17th package of sanctions

Even politicians from the countries of the association found it relatively weak.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said on May 15 that the European Union would immediately begin developing the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, noting that the adoption of the 17th package was absolutely the right decision.

On May 14, the AFP news agency reported that the EU ambassadors had agreed on the 17th package of sanctions against Russia. Russian vessels, as well as companies from China, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Serbia, Vietnam and Uzbekistan will be sanctioned.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on May 10 that intimidating Russia with sanctions was "an empty matter." He noted that the country has already become accustomed to sanctions and knows how to mitigate their consequences.