French President Macron: No legal framework to seize Russian assets

"We don't have any legal framework to use frozen Russian assets. So that would not be a good solution," President Macron said.

At the same time, the French leader did not rule out the possibility that after the conflict ends, this money could be used to rebuild Ukraine.

After Russia's special operation in Ukraine began, the US and other G7 countries, as well as the EU, froze almost half of Russia's foreign exchange reserves, which amount to about 300 billion euros. About 200 billion euros are in the EU, mainly in accounts at Belgium's Euroclear - one of the world's largest payment and clearing systems.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly called the seizure of Russian assets “theft,” stressing that not only private money but also state assets have fallen victim to Western decisions.

So far, despite US pressure, EU leaders have been cautious about transferring the money to Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction, a process estimated to cost up to $520 billion. But with the US showing signs of turning its back on Ukraine, the idea of ​​using frozen Russian assets is being discussed more seriously than ever.