EU Still Far From Using Frozen Russian Assets for Ukraine, Tusk Says

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that a deal enabling the European Union to use frozen Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine remains “still very far off.”

He made the remarks in comments during the meeting with press, according to Onet on December 15.

“At the moment, we have a decision that allows Russian assets to be frozen indefinitely… However, from that point to the potential use of these funds for rebuilding Ukraine—let alone for military support for Ukraine—we are still light years away,” Tusk said.

He added that no decision on allocating these funds to Ukraine is expected at Thursday’s summit in Brussels, although leaders are likely to agree on financing for Ukraine for the next two years.

“However, there are various indirect mechanisms, for example, the possibility of using these funds as a financial lever, that is, as loan guarantees,” Tusk told journalists.

Commenting on the US position, Tusk said “the difference in views is absolutely obvious,” noting that Washington has urged caution, arguing that the issue could complicate negotiations.

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“The Americans say: leave these Russian assets alone, because it’s hard to sit down at the negotiating table with Putin and say, ‘Let’s make a compromise, but we’re taking your money.’ This is the American argument, which calls for being very cautious and not pushing things to the point of collapse,” he said.

At the same time, Tusk suggested the US would prefer to use the assets “in a different way,” adding that Washington might seek to tap part of the funds only after prior coordination with the Kremlin.

“Sometimes it turns out that the Americans still take a business-like approach to this issue… It’s difficult to speak of a single European-American position on this matter,” the Polish prime minister said.

Earlier, the European Union agreed to keep Russian assets frozen indefinitely, guaranteeing that up to $246 billion in Russian funds will remain within the EU until Russia fully compensates Ukraine for the damage it has caused.

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