April 23, 2024 (EiRNS)—Senator Valentina Matviyenko, President of the Federation Council of Russia’s Federal Assembly, responded with a very sharp warning to U.S. and European politicians who propose to seize and sell the Russian foreign assets that have been illegally frozen by their countries. “We have a prepared answer,” Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported, as quoted in by Reuters today. “We have a draft law, which is ready immediately, on retaliatory measures,” she said. Addressing herself especially to the Europeans, she admonished, “And the Europeans will lose more than we do.”
Matviyenko is a member of Russia’s Security Council, and her view likely reflects top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin.
European lawmakers, especially Members of the European Parliament, and American Congressmen, have variously raised the proposal to sell Russian assets to fund NATO war drive against Russia in Ukraine. MEP Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz of Poland asserted in Brussels, “Europe needs to seize all of Russia’s underlying assets and it needs to do so now,” or Ukraine will run out of money. Lithuania’s MEP Andirus Kubilius threw in, “Every day brings new damages to Ukraine. Russia needs to pay.”
On April 20, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Peace Through Strength Act,” by 360-58. The bill would give the power to the President to seize and transfer frozen Russian assets held in the U.S. to Ukraine.
