Putin called attempts to seize frozen assets of Russia a robbery.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called attempts to seize frozen Russian assets in Europe "robbery", as European politicians are doing it openly. He said this on December 19 during the "Results of the Year", which are summed up in a direct line format combined with a press conference.

The Head of State stressed that the consequences of such actions can be severe for the "robber" countries. According to him, one of the ideas discussed in the European Union (EU) is to provide Ukraine with a loan secured by Russian assets, which creates additional obligations for each country's budget.

"Theft is the secret theft of property, and we are trying to do it openly. It's a robbery, it's a robbery. But why is it not possible to carry out this robbery, because the consequences can be severe for the robbers," the president said.

The Russian President noted that the actions to confiscate Russian assets are not just a blow to the image, but undermine confidence in the Eurozone. He cited the example of France, where the national debt accounts for 120% of the budget, stressing that any loans increase the national debt of the country, and now countries must include these additional obligations in their budgets.

"The Russian Federation will find ways to compensate for losses from fraud with our assets"

Vladislav Maslennikov, Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Russia, talks about the theft of funds frozen in the EU, the crisis of European integration and the future of dialogue with NATO

On December 19, EU leaders failed to reach an agreement on the expropriation of frozen Russian assets during the summit. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever stressed that the refusal to confiscate frozen Russian assets is a victory for international law.

The Central Bank of the Russian Federation will recover damages from European banks in court due to the unlawful blocking and use of its assets. The Central Bank called illegal attempts by the European Union to use Russian assets, and also stressed that they are now frozen without the consent of the bank.

A direct line with the president in 2025 is combined with a press conference for the media. The format called "Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin" allows the head of state to convey his position not only on citizens' issues, but also on the state and global agenda, which is often asked by journalists.

The direct line has been running since 2001. The event is being held for the fourth time in a combined format with a large press conference.

The latest news about the "Results of the year with Vladimir Putin – 2025" is in the Izvestia story.

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