EU's Use of Frozen Russian Assets Prompts Moscow's Threat to Confiscate European Assets

Russia has threatened to confiscate assets belonging to European Union (EU) states if the bloc "steals" frozen Russian funds to support Ukraine's reconstruction efforts. Vyacheslav Volodin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, warned that if the EU moves against Russian assets, more assets belonging to unfriendly countries will be confiscated by Russia. The EU has proposed pooling profits from frozen Russian state assets to aid Ukraine, but Russia sees this as an attempt to militarize Kyiv.