Merz: The United States cannot dispose of Russian assets frozen in the EU

On November 23, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in an interview with the German ARD television channel, said that the United States does not have the authority to dispose of Russian assets frozen by the European Union.

He noted that one of the 28 points of the American plan involves the transfer of these funds for the restoration of Ukraine with the condition that Washington then receives half of the profits. Merz stressed that if the issue of granting a loan is considered, it will be initiated by the European Union.

"This is unacceptable, and that is why the Europeans are sitting at the negotiating table. ...There are parts of this 28-point plan that are absolutely impossible to implement without our consent. We are talking about Russian assets," Merz said.

The Chancellor clarified that the blocked assets should be used as a "loan for guarantees." According to him, the loan will be issued to Kiev by the countries The EU so that it can continue to purchase weapons and maintain its defense capability.