The EU may return to transferring frozen Russian assets to Ukraine: the European Commission made a statement

The issue of using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine remains on the agenda of the European Union. The European Commission has stated its readiness to reconsider possible mechanisms if member states return to the relevant discussion. Earlier, the Financial Times reported that four EU countries have called on Brussels to resume work on this issue.

At the same time, the European Commission stated that as of August 27, it had not received a corresponding letter.

European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari stressed that the issue of the potential use of frozen Russian assets has actually never disappeared from the EU agenda.

The European Commission is ready to return to the issue

The discussion on a possible reparations loan for Ukraine, secured by frozen Russian assets, has been actively ongoing since the European Council meeting on December 18, 2025.

At that time, European leaders called on the EU Council and the European Parliament to continue studying the legal and technical aspects of such a mechanism.

According to Ujvari, the European Commission is ready to provide the necessary assistance if work on the appropriate option resumes.

Why the decision has not been made yet

The European Commission’s chief spokeswoman, Paula Pinho, explained that the main obstacle to further advancing the initiative was the lack of sufficient support among the leaders of the EU member states.

This is precisely why active work on the appropriate option practically stopped after the December summit.

However, if the EU states officially raise this issue again, the European Commission is ready to return to its consideration.

We are talking about hundreds of billions of euros of Russian assets

One of the key topics of discussion remains the possibility of using about €210 billion of frozen Russian assets.

Belgium, in particular, previously spoke out against the direct use of these funds. A significant part of Russian assets is held in the Belgian depository Euroclear, which also warned of the possible legal consequences of such a decision.

However, on August 27, Belgium announced its readiness to consider the possibility of transferring Russian assets to Ukraine, provided that the risks associated with such a decision are shared among all EU states.

Russian assets remain frozen

At the end of 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Ukraine’s financing for the next two years would be carried out through EU borrowing on the capital markets.

This amounts to €90 billion, which Ukraine must return after Russia receives an obligation to pay reparations. Until then, Russian assets in Europe must remain frozen.

At the same time, the EU is already using the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. This is fundamentally different from confiscating and transferring the Russian assets themselves.

The debate in the EU may intensify

The issue of using the main amount of Russian assets remains legally and politically complex.

However, recent statements, in particular the change in Belgium’s position on the condition of joint risk sharing, may give a new impetus to the discussion.

Thus, the decision on the transfer of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine has not yet been made, but the European Commission confirms that the issue remains on the agenda and may be brought up for active discussion again.