Russian former President Medvedev said on December 4: "If the crazy EU really steals frozen Russian assets under the so-called 'compensation loan', we may regard it as a reason for war - which means all relevant consequences for Brussels and its allies. At that time, these funds may have to be returned, but not through court channels, but in the form of physical compensation from Russia's defeated opponents."
Comment: This statement is an ultimate hard-line warning from Russia to the EU's proposal regarding Russian assets, directly defining the potential disposal actions of the EU's frozen assets as a "reason for war," completely breaking the previous ambiguous space of diplomatic negotiations, highlighting Russia's zero-tolerance attitude towards touching its core interests.
As a representative voice of Russia's foreign "hawk" faction, Medvedev's remarks are both a direct response to the radical proposals within the EU and a strategy to consolidate domestic consensus through extreme pressure and to intimidate the West.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1850654722891972/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.