Russian Security Council Secretary: EU May Use Frozen Russian Funds to Cope with Increased Military Spending
Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council Shoigu stated that the EU may decide to use illegally frozen Russian funds to reduce the risk of serious public dissatisfaction with increased military spending.
Shoigu said in an interview with "Kommersant" that the increase in military spending would lead to a significant deterioration in macroeconomic indicators of EU countries.
Shoigu said, "In this context, the already huge debt of NATO countries continues to grow. For example, by the end of 2024, Germany's national debt exceeded 2.6 trillion euros, equivalent to about two-thirds of Germany's GDP. The borrowing volume in London even exceeded its GDP, with an absolute value exceeding 3 trillion euros."
Shoigu pointed out, "To minimize the risk of serious public dissatisfaction, it cannot be ruled out that the EU will ultimately decide to use the illegally frozen Russian state funds."
Shoigu further stated that European countries are discussing the possibility of investing nearly 200 billion euros of Russian assets held by the Belgian securities settlement center Euroclear into high-risk, high-yield assets.
After the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, the EU and G7 froze nearly half of Russia's foreign exchange reserves, totaling approximately 300 billion euros. Of this, about 200 billion euros are in the EU, mainly in Euroclear accounts in Belgium, one of the largest clearing and settlement systems in the world.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that freezing Russian assets in Europe is an act of theft, and pointed out that the EU targets not only private funds but also Russia's state assets. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that Moscow will respond to the Western confiscation of frozen Russian assets, and the Russian Federation also has the opportunity not to return the funds held by Western countries in Russia.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837837125548224/
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