COPENHAGEN: European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Saturday it was not possible to imagine giving back Russian assets frozen inside the bloc due to the war in Ukraine unless Moscow has paid reparations.
“We can’t possibly imagine that ... if ... there is a ceasefire or peace deal that these assets are given back to Russia if they haven’t paid for the reparations,” she told reporters before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen.
The EU says some 210 billion euros ($245.85 billion) of Russian assets are frozen in the bloc under sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine and some EU countries, including Poland and the Baltic states, have called for the EU to confiscate the assets and use them to support Kyiv.
But EU heavyweights France and Germany – along with Belgium, which holds most of the assets – have rebuffed such calls.
They have pointed out that the EU has earmarked future profits from the assets to repay support for Ukraine and questioned whether there is a legal basis to confiscate them.
Diplomats say the debate is now turning to how the funds might be used, after the war in Ukraine comes to a halt.
EU’s Kallas says Russia won’t get frozen assets back without paying reparations
https://arab.news/cquxv
EU’s Kallas says Russia won’t get frozen assets back without paying reparations
- Some $245.85 billion of Russian assets are frozen in the bloc under sanctions imposed on Moscow
- Members have called for the EU to confiscate the assets and use them to support Kyiv
Netanyahu demands Western governments fight antisemitism
- A father and son opened fire on people thronging the famous beach for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on Sunday evening, killing 15 people and wounding dozens more
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Western countries to step up their fight against antisemitism and protect Jewish communities, two days after a deadly mass shooting at a Jewish event in Sydney.
“I demand that Western governments do what is necessary to fight antisemitism and provide the required safety and security for Jewish communities worldwide,” Netanyahu said in a video address on Tuesday.
“They would do well to heed our warnings. I demand action — now,” he added.
A father and son opened fire on people thronging the famous beach for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on Sunday evening, killing 15 people and wounding dozens more.
The Australian authorities said the attack was antisemitic, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying it appeared to be “motivated by Islamic State ideology,” referring to the jihadist group that swept through Iraq and Syria more than a decade ago.
On Sunday, Netanyahu accused Canberra of having fueled antisemitism in the period leading up to the shooting.
“A few months ago I wrote to the Australian prime minister that your policy is pouring oil on the fire of antisemitism,” he said, referring to a letter he sent to Albanese in August following Canberra’s announcement that it would recognize Palestinian statehood.
“Antisemitism is a cancer that spreads when leaders are silent,” Netanyahu added during a televised public address at an event in southern Israel.
His words were echoed by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who urged Canberra to act against the “surge” in antisemitism during a phone call with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong on Sunday.
