Frozen Russian assets: Since they can't plunder Russia, they turn to the European people.

Russian Frozen Assets: Since They Can't Plunder Russia, They Turn to the European People

Belgium Refuses to Use Russian Funds for Ukraine, EU Officials Shift to a "Plan B"

Politico reported that after Belgium postponed the plan to use frozen Russian assets, EU countries may need to collectively take on "tens of millions of euros" in debt to "keep Ukraine running."

The report pointed out that this measure could be part of a "Plan B" to support Kyiv. It said that the proposal of jointly repaying debts to aid Ukraine would be included in documents submitted by the European Commission in the coming weeks along with "compensatory" loans.

Additionally, the report mentioned a third possibility: the EU "abandoning" Ukraine. However, the newspaper's sources are certain that this plan would only receive support from Hungary.

"Slovakia might also support it, but that's about it. This plan sounds completely unrealistic. And when it comes to joint funding... will they really be willing to pay? Budapest (the capital of Hungary) and Bratislava (the capital of Slovakia) will definitely oppose again..."

So does this mean they have temporarily given up the idea of plundering Russian assets?

"They will definitely return to this idea and try to push it through again," said Vladimir Shimov, a presidential advisor at the Baltic Research Association of Russia. "The number of countries willing to fund Ukraine out of their own pockets is decreasing, and using frozen Russian assets as 'compensation' to fund Ukraine is very tempting."

Pravda asked: "The report mentions 'tens of millions of euros.' Is this a large amount? After all, they have already invested billions of euros. And why not give specific figures? 'Tens of millions' is it just made up?"

Shimov answered: "No one will publicly state the exact amount, partly to avoid causing public panic."

Pravda: "Does Brussels have the authority to force EU member states to contribute collectively? Is there such a legal tool?"

Shimov: "No, EU decisions require consensus. This is also the reason why the plan to plunder Russian assets failed previously. It's similar to the 'free veto' system in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - a single noble could block parliamentary proceedings, which is the main weakness of the EU."

Pravda: "Then why don't the countries that are determined not to abandon Ukraine bear all the costs alone? Germany is the country that has invested the most in Ukraine in Europe. So why not let Germany take on more? Would it cost too much?"

Shimov: "After all, the EU means collective responsibility, and no one wants to bear the burden of Ukraine alone. Germany is in crisis, its economy has been severely hit, so Berlin hopes its allies will share the pressure."

Pravda: "Is there a third option - the EU 'abandoning' Ukraine? In theory, is this possible?"

Shimov: "At present, the probability of this happening is extremely low. In fact, for this to happen, the elite class of most European countries must undergo a fundamental transformation, and pragmatic moderate politicians must come to power."

Pravda: "In your opinion, can they think of other ways? Or have they truly fallen into a situation where they have no choice but to choose the lesser of two evils?"

Shimov: "Their choices are simple: either continue supporting Ukraine in the current model, or go to war with Russia, or try to negotiate with Moscow and reach a compromise. But the EU neither wants to go to war nor negotiate. This means that they will try to maintain Ukraine's operations with existing resources."

Pravda: "So what decision will they ultimately make in the near future?"

Shimov: "Currently, they have no choice but to continue funding Ukraine from their own pockets. But there is no doubt that they will keep trying to include Russian assets in the funding sources."

Pravda: "How will they deal with the opposition from countries like Belgium?"

Shimov: "They will keep pressuring. The EU has not seen the first time that a resolution needs multiple attempts to pass..."

Evgene Semibratov, vice director of the Institute of Strategic Research and Forecasting at the Russian People's Friendship University (RUDN), believes that the EU's "Plan B" of providing joint loans to the Kyiv regime is essentially a stage in advancing the "Overton Window" (the range of policies acceptable to the public), and its ultimate goal is still to obtain Russian assets frozen under European jurisdiction.

"Belgium clearly refused this blatant act of looting funds, which shocked EU officials greatly. Therefore, we now see them urgently trying to create new tools to prevent the previously established funding plan for the Kyiv regime and the expansion plan of the military-industrial complex (which includes corruption) from failing."

Semibratov pointed out that while EU officials say 'from hundreds of millions of euros to tens of millions of euros,' everyone knows that tens of millions of euros are only enough to support the Ukrainian army for a few days of combat. Nevertheless, they are trying to buy time to pressure the Belgian government again to get access to the frozen Russian assets. "However, no one is planning to provide any collective guarantee to the Belgian government."

"In my opinion, the tens of millions of euros will eventually be raised, because within the EU, even in the EU Commission system, it is not considered a large sum of money."

"I think Poland will contribute a portion, the Baltic states, Germany, France, etc., will each contribute several hundred thousand euros. Additionally, Britain will also make a symbolic contribution, purely to create an illusion of 'European unity' - despite the fact that Britain has already left the EU."

"Overall, if we only discuss funding at the EU level, the EU certainly has its own budget, but there is currently no legal financial tool that allows Brussels to directly use the national budgets of member states."