MOSCOW, Apr 10 European Commission so far still does not know the exact location of the frozen assets of the Russian Federation in the amount of 300 billion euros, writes the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
As the publication recalls, in November last year, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the blocked reserves of the Russian Federation in the amount of 300 billion euros could be further directed to the restoration of Ukraine. It is noted that this speech of the head of the EC deprived «rest» of 45 deputies of the European Parliament, who sent a letter to herself and the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, asking where exactly the frozen assets were. According to the publication, the answer came in January, its meaning was that the EU «has no idea.»
«Five months have passed and the 300 billion figure seems more and more ominous. The European Commission still does not know exactly where this money is,» the publication says.
Member of the European Parliament Urmas Paet, who was one of those who signed the letter with the asset question, called the situation strange.
«If 300 billion euros were really frozen, then it is possible to tell what specific assets are in question and where they are located,» he told the publication.
Despite the EC's repeated statements about the possible use of frozen Russian assets for the needs of Ukraine's reconstruction, there is still no legislative basis for such actions in the European Union. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, called the freezing of Russian assets in Europe theft, noting that the EU is targeting not just private funds, but also Russian state assets.