The German government believes that the EU should return to the issue of using frozen Russian assets

The head of the German Federal Chancellery, Torsten Frei, said that the European Union must return to the question of how frozen Russian assets worth hundreds of billions of euros can be used to finance Ukraine.

“We must look at the issue of Russian state funds much more carefully than we have done in the past. We must not allow Russia to get away with the game it is playing with all of us,” Torsten Frei said.

According to Bloomberg, Frey's comments suggest that Germany, under the leadership of new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, may become more open to the idea of seizing Russian state assets worth around €200 billion ($227 billion) that the EU froze after President Vladimir Putin's invasion in 2022. Although the EU already uses the profits they generate, countries including Germany and France have previously been skeptical about seizing the assets themselves, fearing that this could damage the euro.

It is noted that Frey acknowledged possible compromises, saying that he respects counterarguments and that it is a matter of weighing all the pros and cons.

“If we want to achieve a ceasefire through peaceful means, our options are limited... That is why I am very much in favor of using the tools at our disposal,” the head of the Chancellery emphasized.

Source: UNN, Bloomberg