Name: EU locking in Russian assets for good
Uploaded: 2025-12-13T15:31:46.550Z
Duration: 1 min 10 s
Description: In an audacious move, the EU has decided to indefinitely immobilize the Russian sovereign assets, pushing back against external pressure to release the funds before Moscow agrees to pay war reparations to Ukraine.

In an audacious move, the EU has decided to indefinitely immobilize the Russian sovereign assets, pushing back against external pressure to release the funds before Moscow agrees to pay war reparations to Ukraine.

Brussels

The European Union has decided to indefinitely immobilize Russian assets worth 210 billion euros held within its member states. This action follows months of political debate and recent public criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who described Europe as a 'decaying continent' and its leaders as weak.

The EU triggered an emergency clause to freeze the Russian Central Bank's overseas holdings, with the majority of the assets located at Euroclear in Brussels and the rest distributed among banks in five other EU states. Previously, these funds were subject to a sanctions regime requiring unanimous biannual renewal by EU members.

EU locking in Russian assets for good

After months of political wrangling and a flurry of criticisms issued by U.S. President Donald Trump last week, European leaders have come out with a strong response. In an audacious move, the European Union have decided to indefinitely immobilize Russian assets held in EU countries worth a whopping 210 billion euros. An emergency clause in the treaties was triggered this week to freeze the overseas holdings owned by the Russian Central Bank. The measure comes just days after Trump labeled Europe a, quote, decaying continent and called its leaders weak. With one bold move, the bloc was able to push back against external interference and insulate the large sum of money from the Kremlin's war machine. The bulk of the assets, some 185 billion euros, are held at Euroclear, a central securities depository in Brussels. The remaining 25 billion are spread in banks across five other EU member states. Until now, the funds have been paralyzed under the traditional sanctions scheme, which requires renewal by unanimous vote among the member states biannually.

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