German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on December 16 that the chances of the European Union making a decision on the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine are at 50 percent.
In a statement on ZDF TV, Merz said: “Based on the current situation, I would say that the chance that we will cope is 50-50.”
He noted concerns about the decision exist throughout Europe and added that Kiev has financing for the first quarter but the situation may become critical later.
On December 3, the European Commission approved a potential reparation loan for Ukraine, which involves the expropriation of sovereign Russian assets in Europe.
Later on December 12, it was reported that Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Malta opposed the EU proposal to transfer frozen assets of the Russian Federation to Ukraine, amounting to approximately €210 billion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on November 27 that confiscation of Russian assets located in the European Union would have negative consequences. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on December 15 that the situation with frozen Russian assets shows that “theft is in the blood of Europeans.”
