Russia threatens a harsh response to any European move targeting its frozen assets.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Follow-ups:

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned on Thursday that any "illegal action" taken by the European Union regarding frozen Russian assets would be met with the "strongest reaction." This comes amid European discussions led by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on using those assets to finance a compensation loan for Ukraine amounting to 210 billion euros. Germany is secretive about the amount of frozen Russian assets within its borders, while the Belgian institution Euroclear manages about 185 billion euros of assets from the Russian Central Bank, amid Belgian concerns about being subjected to individual retaliatory measures. In contrast, the President of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, expressed clear opposition to using Russian assets as financial collateral, stressing the need to respect the EU Treaty and not to undermine financial stability. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also expressed cautious openness to using Russian assets within a mechanism to support Ukraine, with the need to study the proposals legally before making any decision, while European leaders continue their consultations ahead of the upcoming summit in December, amid intensive diplomatic moves and changes in the schedule of official visits related to the file.