Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, speaks during a press conference after the informal EU defence ministers meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, Friday 29 August 2025;
Credit: Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix/Liselotte Sabroe
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Saturday 30 August 2025, 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 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.
