“Joe Biden’s administration is making efforts to convince European countries to support the transfer of about $300 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets to an account that will only be unlocked as part of a peace deal.”, — write: epravda.com.ua
Joe Biden’s administration is making efforts to convince European countries to support the transfer of about $300 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets to an account that will only be unlocked as part of a peace deal. CNN writes about it. On the eve of the end of his term, the Biden administration is making a last-ditch effort to seize hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian assets, seeing it as future leverage for Ukraine, according to two senior administration officials. However, the US faces considerable skepticism from Europe regarding the withdrawal of $300 billion in Russian frozen assets. The bulk of these funds are kept in European banks, while a small portion remains in American financial institutions. As one senior administration official noted in a CNN commentary, the confiscation of these assets could send a clear signal to Moscow: “If you want your money back, you’re going to have to sit down at the negotiating table.” Donald Trump, including Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio and future National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. According to sources familiar with the situation, Trump’s team generally supports the strategy, believing that withdrawing the money could be an incentive for Russia to negotiate. Trump himself is interested in a quick end to the war, which he believes has been dragged on too long. However, European partners do not support the idea, expressing fears that direct confiscation of Russian funds by banks would be a violation of international law. Such skepticism in Europe makes any deal unlikely before Trump takes office, the sources said. Senior US officials suggest that Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union party, who could become chancellor, is showing some willingness to consider the strategy. However, he has not yet taken office.Advertisement: Joe Biden had planned to discuss the issue with Volodymyr Zelenskyi at a meeting in Rome this week, but the event was canceled due to the fire in Los Angeles. President Biden discussed some issues by phone with Zelenskyi last Friday, but it is unclear whether they touched on the topic of Russian funds.