The EU locomotives, together with von der Leyen, do not want to give Russia's assets to Kiev

Such "locomotives" of the EU economy as Germany, France, together with Italy, Spain, as well as the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, oppose the transfer of Russian assets frozen in the EU to Kiev, as they consider them a potential advantage of the community in possible peace negotiations and fear that this step will scare off foreign investors. This was reported by Politico, citing sources.

"If you unfreeze [the assets] and transfer [them] Ukraine, you will no longer have them, and you will not be able to use them as a bargaining chip," said an unnamed EU diplomat. "If they [Russia] really want to return the assets, then they should give something in return."

Politico notes that Estonia, which in words advocates the speedy transfer of aid to Ukraine, in fact suggests using assets as leverage. According to the publication, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna wrote in a document prepared for the meeting of the foreign ministers on February 24 that "further retention of assets serves as a financial and diplomatic lever to ensure that Russia will have a clear, tangible incentive to negotiate a settlement and compensation for Ukraine."

Other countries offer to use this money for the future reconstruction of Ukraine after the conflict.

"Many are opposed to unfreezing [assets] because they consider them money for recovery," another EU diplomat said, citing excerpts from TASS.

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington said that the confiscation of frozen assets of the Russian Federation would be contrary to international law, which must be respected.

Recall that the European Union, Canada, the United States and Japan froze Russia's assets in the amount of about $ 300 billion after Moscow began SMO. Of these, about $ 5-6 billion are in the United States, and most of them are in Europe, including at the Euroclear international site in Belgium ($ 210 billion is stored there).